Download & Other Tools
Download & Other Tools
Loading…
- Definition: Number of hospital discharges for a primary diagnosis of asthma per 10,000 children ages 0-17, by age group (e.g., in 2024, the asthma hospitalization rate among California children ages 0-4 was 14.5 per 10,000).
- Data Source: California Breathing, tabulation of data from the California Dept. of Health Care Access and Information (May 2026).
- Footnote: Data are based on the number of hospitalizations, not the number of children hospitalized. Data are limited to hospital admissions; emergency department visits that do not result in admission are excluded. Transfers from one hospital to another are treated as separate hospitalizations. County-level data reflect the patient's county of residence, not the county in which the hospitalization occurred. Data are based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code J45. The notation S refers to data that have been suppressed because there were fewer than 12 asthma hospitalizations in that group.
Learn More About Asthma
- Measures of Asthma on Kidsdata.org
-
On kidsdata.org, estimates of lifetime asthma prevalence are derived from reports of children ages 1-17 being told by a doctor that they have asthma. Rates and numbers of asthma hospitalizations—which reflect the most severe asthmatic episodes—also are provided for children ages 0-17, by age group.
-
- Asthma
- Air Quality
- Characteristics of Children with Special Needs
- Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
-
- Preventive Care Visits, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Usual Source of Sick Care, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Difficulty Getting Needed Referrals for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Needed Specialist Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- School Provides Services for Students with Special Needs (Staff Reported)
- Unmet Health Care Needs, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Pupil Support Services
- Impacts of Special Health Care Needs on Children and Families
-
- Effect of Conditions on Daily Activities for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- School Days Missed Due to Illness or Injury, by Special Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Overnight Hospital Stays Among Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Time Spent by Families Providing Care at Home for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Family Members Avoid Changing Jobs to Maintain Health Insurance (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Health Impacts Family Members' Employment (California & U.S. Only)
- Children Whose Parents Feel Aggravation from Parenting, by Special Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Quality of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs
-
- Receipt of Care in a Well-Functioning Health System, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Shared Decision-Making Between Providers and Families, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Care Within a Medical Home, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Family-Centered Care, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Needed Care Coordination, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- School Attendance and Discipline
- Health Care
- Hospital Use
- Why This Topic Is Important
-
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the U.S. and a leading cause of pediatric hospitalization (1, 2). It also is among the most common reasons for missed school days, accounting for 13.8 million absences annually (3, 4). Asthma is estimated to affect more than four and a half million children nationwide, resulting in a substantial economic burden for families and society overall (2). In 2022 alone, asthma hospitalizations for U.S. children cost more than $480 million (4).
Asthma rates vary by region, demographics, environment, physician diagnostic practices, and overall health care access and quality (1). Although identifying the impact of independent risk factors for asthma is difficult, children of color and those from low-income families experience disproportionately high asthma prevalence, hospitalizations, and barriers to care (1, 5). In particular, African American/black and Hispanic/Latino (especially Puerto Rican) children experience a greater asthma burden than white children in the U.S. (1, 5).
Asthma can be life-threatening when it is not managed properly. The CDC estimates that approximately 50% of children with asthma do not have their disease under control (1). Symptoms can be managed with regular medical monitoring, e-health technologies, and personalized action plans that help children use medicine as prescribed and avoid asthma triggers (6, 7). However, children who face difficulty accessing high-quality health care are less likely to have well-controlled asthma (4, 8).For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Pate, C. A., & Zahran, H. S. (2024). The status of asthma in the United States. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 240005. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/24_0005.htm
2. Wang, N., & Nurmagambetov, T. (2024). Sociodemographic factors of asthma prevalence and costs among children and adolescents in the United States, 2016-2021. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 230449. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/23_0449.htm
3. Luff, C., et al. (2026). One-session asthma curriculum for all K-8th grade students: Impact on knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Frontiers in Allergy, 7, 1667661. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/allergy/articles/10.3389/falgy.2026.1667661/full
4. Kim, C., et al. (2025). Pediatric asthma in the Inland Empire: Environmental burden, gaps in preventive care, and unmet needs. Children, 12(9), 1183. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/9/1183
5. Gill, I., et al. (2022). Community interventions for childhood asthma ED visits and hospitalizations: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 150(4), e2021054825. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/4/e2021054825/189494/Community-Interventions-for-Childhood-Asthma-ED
6. Mirabelli, M. C., et al. (2024). CDC's National Asthma Control Program: Public health actions to reduce the burden of asthma. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 240344. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/24_0344.htm
7. Caminati, M., et al. (2021). Uncontrolled asthma: Unmet needs in the management of patients. Journal of Asthma and Allergy, 14, 457-466. Retrieved from: https://www.dovepress.com/uncontrolled-asthma-unmet-needs-in-the-management-of-patients-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JAA
8. Pate, C. A., et al. (2023). Asthma disparities among U.S. children and adults. Journal of Asthma, 60(12), 2214-2223. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02770903.2023.2228915 - How Children Are Faring
-
In 2019-2020, an estimated 12% of California children ages 1-17 had been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives, down from 16% in 2005. At the county level, the share of children ever diagnosed with asthma ranged from fewer than 1 in 20 (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara) to more than 1 in 4 (Butte, Kings, Napa) in 2019-2020.
While asthma does not result in hospitalization for most children, there were 7,251 hospitalizations for asthma among children ages 0-17 statewide in 2024—a rate of 8.6 hospitalizations per 10,000. The number of pediatric asthma hospitalizations in 2024 was nearly three times higher than in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2,719 hospitalizations in 2020). California children ages 0-4 generally experience higher rates of asthma hospitalization (14.5 hospitalizations per 10,000 in 2024) than older children ages 5-17 (6.4 per 10,000 in 2024). - Policy Implications
-
Asthma is major public health problem in the U.S., affecting millions of children and costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually in pediatric hospitalizations alone (1, 2). It is a leading cause of childhood hospitalizations and missed school days, with children of color—particularly African American/black and Hispanic/Latino children—and those from low-income families disproportionately affected by the disease (2, 3, 4). While asthma has no cure and can be debilitating or even life-threatening, it usually is controllable (6). Asthma can be triggered by environmental conditions such as outdoor air pollution, tobacco smoke, and poor indoor air quality, as well as by other causes such as viral infections, exercise, and stress (6, 7, 8, 9). State, local, and school policies that reduce asthma triggers and that facilitate effective management and treatment of asthma can have positive effects on controlling the disease (6, 8). Effective asthma control strategies also require collaboration and commitment across multiple sectors (e.g., health care, public health, education, social services, community organizations, etc.) focused on multiple levels, including individuals, families, communities, providers, and systems (6).
Policy and practice options that could influence asthma rates, management, and disparities include:- Ensuring that all children have adequate, accessible, and affordable health care and insurance coverage for effective prevention and treatment, including coverage for asthma specialty care, medications, and supplies; as part of this, ensuring that providers are available (through telemedicine where needed), deliver coordinated care, and adhere to guidelines-based management practices (2, 7, 10)
- Enforcing and strengthening laws and regulations that limit air pollution from vehicles, agricultural and industrial practices, and other sources; also, promoting clean diesel school buses and reducing student exposure to exhaust (2, 8)
- Strengthening efforts to improve indoor air quality in homes and schools, provide education on asthma care and self-management, and facilitate communication and record sharing among families, schools, and health care providers (2, 8)
- Implementing comprehensive asthma management initiatives in schools built around regular health monitoring, preventive treatment, school nurse interventions, staff training, and communication with families (6, 11)
- Promoting integrated, community-wide interventions that decrease the burden of asthma on populations at highest risk, including outreach and education, home visiting, and reduction of asthma triggers in homes, schools, child care centers, and workplaces (4, 6)
- Advancing policies that go beyond poverty reduction to address structural and environmental factors that are associated with asthma and disproportionately experienced by some groups, such as low-income, African American/black, and Latino families (2, 6)
- Funding and supporting local and state tobacco control efforts to reduce secondhand smoke exposure (particularly in outdoor public places and multi-unit housing settings), restrict access to cigarettes, and increase the availability and use of smoking cessation programs (6, 11)
- Promoting effective strategies to decrease exposure to wildfire smoke in vulnerable communities, such as providing cleaner air shelters and public education on wildfire preparedness and appropriate use of air conditioners and filters (12)
For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit California Breathing. Also see the following topics on kidsdata.org: Hospital Use and Air Quality.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Wang, N., & Nurmagambetov, T. (2024). Sociodemographic factors of asthma prevalence and costs among children and adolescents in the United States, 2016-2021. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 230449. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/23_0449.htm
2. Kim, C., et al. (2025). Pediatric asthma in the Inland Empire: Environmental burden, gaps in preventive care, and unmet needs. Children, 12(9), 1183. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/9/1183
3. Pate, C. A., & Zahran, H. S. (2024). The status of asthma in the United States. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 240005. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/24_0005.htm
4. Gill, I., et al. (2022). Community interventions for childhood asthma ED visits and hospitalizations: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 150(4), e2021054825. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/4/e2021054825/189494/Community-Interventions-for-Childhood-Asthma-ED
5. Mirabelli, M. C., et al. (2024). CDC's National Asthma Control Program: Public health actions to reduce the burden of asthma. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 240344. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/24_0344.htm
6. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2020). 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines: A Report from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/2020-focused-updates-asthma-management-guidelines
7. Brumberg, H. L., et al. (2021). Ambient air pollution: Health hazards to children. Pediatrics, 147(6), e2021051484. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/147/6/e2021051484/180283/Ambient-Air-Pollution-Health-Hazards-to-Children
8. Banta, J. E., et al. (2021). Socio-demographics and asthma prevalence, management, and outcomes among children 1-11 years of age in California. Global Health Research and Policy, 6, 17. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41256-021-00199-y
9. McLellan, S. E., et al. (2022). A Blueprint for Change: Guiding principles for a system of services for children and youth with special health care needs and their families. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150C. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150C/188225/A-Blueprint-for-Change-Guiding-Principles-for-a
10. Merghani, M. M., et al. (2025). Asthma-related school absenteeism: Prevalence, disparities, and the need for comprehensive management: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dialogues in Health, 7, 100239. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277265332500036X
11. California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Prevention Program. (2025). California tobacco facts and figures 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ResearchandEvaluation/FactsandFigures/CaliforniaTobaccoFactsAndFigures_2025.pdf
12. Stone, S. L., et al. (2019). Wildfire smoke: A guide for public health officials. California Air Resources Board, et al. Retrieved from: https://www.airnow.gov/wildfire-smoke-guide-publications - Research & Links
-
- Websites with Related Information
-
- AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org
- California Air Resources Board: Asthma and Air Pollution
- California Breathing. California Dept. of Public Health.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma
- MedlinePlus: Asthma in Children. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- Regional Asthma Management and Prevention. Public Health Institute.
- State of the Air. American Lung Association.
- Tracking California: Asthma
- Key Reports and Research
-
- 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines: A Report from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group. (2020). National Institutes of Health. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
- Air Pollution and Family Related Determinants of Asthma Onset and Persistent Wheezing in Children: Nationwide Case-Control Study. (2020). BMJ. Holst, G. J., et al.
- Assessing Indoor Environmental Control Practices by Race/Ethnicity Among Children with Asthma in 14 U.S. States and Puerto Rico, 2013–2014. (2019). Preventing Chronic Disease. Rozwadowski, F. M., et al.
- Association of Changes in Air Quality with Incident Asthma in Children in California, 1993–2014. (2019). JAMA. Garcia, E., et al.
- Asthma and Academic Performance in Urban Children. (2019). Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Koinis-Mitchell, D., et al.
- Asthma and Attendance in Urban Schools. (2019). Preventing Chronic Disease. Johnson, S. B., et al.
- Asthma Prevalence in California: A Surveillance Report. (2017). California Dept. of Public Health. Milet, M.
- Estimated Prevalence of Asthma in U.S. Children with Developmental Disabilities. (2020). JAMA Network Open. Xie, L., et al.
- EXHALE: A Technical Package to Control Asthma. (2018). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hsu, J., et al.
- Impact of Rural School-Based Health Centers on Asthma Management. (2025). Journal of Pediatrics. Brunner, W. M., et al.
- Managing Asthma in Schools. (2024). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Poverty Status and Childhood Asthma in White and Black Families: National Survey of Children's Health. (2018). Healthcare. Assari, S., & Moghani Lankarani, M.
- Public Health Actions to Reduce the Burden of Asthma: 25 years of CDC’s National Asthma Control Program. (2024). Preventing Chronic Disease, 21.
- Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Asthma Outcomes Among African-American and Latino Children with Asthma. (2018). Thorax. Neophytou, A. M., et al.
- County/Regional Reports
-
- Community Health Equity Improvement Plan for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Community Health Profiles. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Pediatric Asthma in the Inland Empire: Environmental Burden, Gaps in Preventive Care, and Unmet Needs. (2025). Children. Kim, C., et al.
- San Mateo County All Together Better. San Mateo County Health.
- More Data Sources For Asthma
-
- America’s Children and the Environment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Asthma Surveillance Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal. California Health and Human Services Agency.
- California Health Interview Survey. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
- County Asthma Dashboard. California Breathing.
- Health, United States – Data Finder. National Center for Health Statistics.
- National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Tracking California: Data Explorer
Receive Kidsdata News
New and notable data findings delivered regularly to your inbox.