Clinical profile of children attending asthma camps

Abstract

Rationale 15,000 children attend over 150 asthma camps each year, but a clinical description of these children and their degree of asthma control has never been reported. Methods The Consortium on Children's Asthma Camps compiled data from a common health history application used by 3 different camps in a 2002 pilot study to characterize the type of child attending camp. Parents of 372 children, ages 7-14 yrs (mean 10.5) completed an application about their child's medical history, functional status, and medication use. Results The majority of children had never camped before; 25% had never been away from home. 46% of children were returnees. Only 30% used a PF meter regularly while nearly 70% had no asthma action plan. One-third used their rescue inhaler at least 4 days/week, 25% were awakening ≥3 nights/week, 85% had asthma interfering with their exercise ability, and 15% missed ≥2 weeks/year of school. One out of 8 campers had been admitted for asthma ≥3 times in the last 5 years. Only 45% were using inhaled corticosteroids. About half of the children were followed by a specialist (allergist, pulmonologist). When returnees were compared to first time campers, there was a trend toward fewer ER visits (p=.09) in the returnees. Conclusions The significant degree of sub-optimal asthma control and apparent undertreatment of children who attend asthma camps noted in this study represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the camp program to make an appreciable difference in the lives of these children.