2019 Direct Services Grant Program NOFA 2019 Direct Services NOFA | Page 8

ASTHMA
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs and airways that causes recurrent episodes of
wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing and is a significant public health issue in both
the United States and Georgia. Although the exact cause of asthma is unknown and there is no cure,
asthma can be treated with self-management education, effective medical treatment, adherence to
prescribed medications, and by controlling environmental triggers. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, asthma affects an estimated 25.1 million people in the United States.
Asthma places a significant economic burden in the United States and can lead to a reduction in
quality of life. Researchers found that the costs of asthma to society totaled $81.9 billion in 2013,
including costs incurred by absenteeism and mortality. 7
In 2014, the overall asthma prevalence among adult Georgians 18 years and older was 8.4% 8 and
10.2% among children under age 18. 9 Similar to national trends, the asthma prevalence among
Georgians was higher among females (10.0%) than males (6.7%) 8 , and higher among boys (14.1%)
than girls (5.6%) under age 18 9 . The 2015 Georgia Asthma Burden Report identified several disparities
in asthma emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations. Among Georgia children under age 18, an
average of 27,000 asthma ER visits occurred annually costing $44.2 million in 2012. 10 The rate of
asthma ER visits and hospitalizations among children in Georgia was highest among boys, African-
Americans, and children 0-4 years. Among Georgia adults 18 years and older, an average of 28,700
asthma-related ER visits occurred annually costing $68.1 million in 2012. 10 The number of asthma-
related ER visits among adults was highest among females and African-Americans, and the rate of
asthma hospitalizations among adults was highest among African-Americans, women and people 65
years and older. 8
Proposed programs that address asthma should utilize effective interventions that are proven to
demonstrate impact. For example, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)
Guidelines are used as part of evidence-based clinical practice and medical management of asthma. 11
The NAEPP guidelines were developed by an expert panel commissioned by the NAEPP Coordinating
Committee, coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National
Institutes of Health.
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6
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Most Recent National Asthma Data. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
The Economic Burden of Asthma in the United States, 2008-2013. Nurmagambetov, T., Kuwahara, R. and Garbe, P. Division of
Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Atlanta, Georgia.
8
2016 Georgia Data Summary for Adult Asthma. Georgia Department of Public Health.
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9
2016 Georgia Data Summary for Asthma in Children. Georgia Department of Public Health.
10
Annor F., Bayakly, A., Vajani M., Drenzek, C., Lopez F., O’Connor J. Georgia Asthma Burden Report. Georgia Department of Public
Health, Health Protection, Epidemiology, Chronic Disease, Healthy Behaviors and Injury Epidemiology Section, May 2015.
11
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3).
6
Healthcare Georgia Foundation
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2019 Direct Services Grant Program NOFA
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Issued June 25, 2019