An evaluation of asthma morbidity in Singaporean schoolchildren--a teachers' survey.
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Date
2003-06-25
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Abstract
Asthma is the most common chronic illness in childhood. This study evaluated the asthma morbidity among Singaporean schoolchildren. The survey involved 1,744 schoolteachers using a structured written questionnaire. 73.4% of class teachers reported at least 1 asthmatic student in their class. 37.1% of teachers had students absent from school for up to 3 days per month and 5.1% missed school for 4 to 14 days in a month. 87.4% of the physical education (PE) teachers reported at least 1 asthmatic student in their class. 65.2% reported an average of 1-3 students sitting out at each PE lesson and 15.1% reported students who were exempted from PE for more than 3 months in a year due to asthma. The morbidity of asthma in Singaporean schoolchildren in terms of school absenteeism and exemption from PE classes is substantial. The data supports a need to improve asthma control amongst our schoolchildren.
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Published by the Allergy and Immunology Society of Thailand.
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Citation
Lim DL, Tan TN, Quek CM, Wang XS, Shek LP, Lee BW, Goh DY. An evaluation of asthma morbidity in Singaporean schoolchildren--a teachers' survey. Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology. 2003 Jun; 21(2): 71-4