Asthma prevalence, morbidity and management practices in South Australia, 1992-1995.

Article first published online: 25 MAR 2008Background: The Spring South Australian Health Omnibus Survey (SSAHOS) has been used to monitor trends in asthma prevalence, asthma morbidity and asthma management practices between 1992 and 1995. Aims: To determine if self-reported asthma prevalence and availability of asthma action plans were increasing. To identify deficiencies in asthma management and opportunities for intervention. Methods: Representative population survey by trained interviewers using a multistage, systematic, clustered area sample of 4200 households in South Australia where people aged 15 years or more are living. Results: Over 3000 interviews were conducted each year. Between 1992 and 1995 the self-reported prevalence of asthma in those aged 15 years or more increased significantly from 15.7% to 20.3% (p<0.0005), and the prevalence of current asthma increased from 9.3% to 11.4% (p<0.05). The self-reported availability of individual asthma action plans increased from 21.9% in 1992 to 42.2% in 1995 p