Prevalence of bronchial asthma among students of 16–20 years' age group in a South Indian City

Background: The prevalence of asthma has been increasing worldwide in recent years. There is a wide variation in the prevalence of asthma in various countries, varying between 1.2% and 6.3% among adults in most countries. There is a scarcity of data on the prevalence of asthma in the age group 16–20 years in India. Objective: The aim is to study the prevalence of asthma among students of 16–20 years' age group in our city. Methodology: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. A standardized questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 4600 college students. Among the students who had symptoms suggestive of asthma by the questionnaire method, 10% of them were selected for spirometry to confirm the diagnosis by a systemic random sampling method. Statistical analysis was performed using frequency and percentage method to calculate the prevalence. Chi-square test, odds ratio, and 95% confidence interval were used to measure the association between the variables, and a value of P < 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: Out of 4600 students, 1539 (33.5%) were boys and 3061 (66.5%) were girls. 230 (5.0%) students had symptoms suggestive of bronchial asthma, of which 115 (7.5%) were boys and 115 (3.8%) were girls. 336 (7.3%) students had a family history of asthma. Out of 230 students having symptoms suggestive of asthma, only 57 (24.78%) students were taking regular medications, in which 34 (59.64%) students had symptomatic relief. The prevalence of bronchial asthma among college students (16–20) years of age was 5.0%. A family history of asthma was associated with significantly higher odds of having bronchial asthma. Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma among students of 16–20 years ago was 5.0%. A family history of asthma was associated with significantly higher odds of having bronchial asthma.