TY - JOUR
T1 - Trends in medication use for asthma in school-entry children in the Australian Capital Territory, 2000-2005
AU - Phillips, Christine B.
AU - Toyne, Helen
AU - Ciszek, Karen
AU - Attewell, Robyn G.
AU - Kljakovic, Marjan
PY - 2007/7/2
Y1 - 2007/7/2
N2 - Objective: To analyse trends in asthma medications used by school-entry children whose parents report they have asthma. Design and setting: Annual cross-sectional study of all school-entry children (about 4400 each year) in the Australian Capital Territory in 2000-2005, by means of a questionnaire for parents on child health status and medication use; and a cross-sectional study of asthma prescriptions for children aged 5 years obtained from the Medicare Australia database for 2002-2005. Participants: All school-entry children in the ACT with parent-reported asthma (numbers in the years 2000-2005 ranged between 435 and 589). Main outcome measures: Changes in the use of different medications; changes in delivery devices for asthma; changes in the potency of inhaled fluticasone. Results: Response rates to kindergarten health screening were in the range 85%-89)% for 2000-2005. Parent-reported asthma prevalence ranged from 11% to 15%. Each year, around 35% of children with asthma (age range, 4-6 years) used inhaled corticosteroids. An increase in the use of fluticasone (from 11% to 33% of children with asthma) was offset by decreases in beclomethasone use (from 14% to 3%) and budesonide (from 14% to 4%). Use of cromoglycate and nedocromil fell from 46% to l6%. Nebuliser use decreased (from 45% to 20%), while the use of spacer devices increased (flora 70% to 83%). Use of combined salmeterol/ fluticasone increased flora 8% (in 2002) to 20% (in 2005) of children with parent-reported asthma. These trends were mirrored in Medicare Australia data for 5-year-old children in the ACT. Conclusions: There was marked volatility in the types of asthma medication used over the 6 years. Reciprocal trends leading to increased use of spacers and decreased use of nebulisers are in accord with national guidelines for better asthma management. The increasing use of products containing a combination of salmeterol and fluticasone requires ongoing monitoring.
AB - Objective: To analyse trends in asthma medications used by school-entry children whose parents report they have asthma. Design and setting: Annual cross-sectional study of all school-entry children (about 4400 each year) in the Australian Capital Territory in 2000-2005, by means of a questionnaire for parents on child health status and medication use; and a cross-sectional study of asthma prescriptions for children aged 5 years obtained from the Medicare Australia database for 2002-2005. Participants: All school-entry children in the ACT with parent-reported asthma (numbers in the years 2000-2005 ranged between 435 and 589). Main outcome measures: Changes in the use of different medications; changes in delivery devices for asthma; changes in the potency of inhaled fluticasone. Results: Response rates to kindergarten health screening were in the range 85%-89)% for 2000-2005. Parent-reported asthma prevalence ranged from 11% to 15%. Each year, around 35% of children with asthma (age range, 4-6 years) used inhaled corticosteroids. An increase in the use of fluticasone (from 11% to 33% of children with asthma) was offset by decreases in beclomethasone use (from 14% to 3%) and budesonide (from 14% to 4%). Use of cromoglycate and nedocromil fell from 46% to l6%. Nebuliser use decreased (from 45% to 20%), while the use of spacer devices increased (flora 70% to 83%). Use of combined salmeterol/ fluticasone increased flora 8% (in 2002) to 20% (in 2005) of children with parent-reported asthma. These trends were mirrored in Medicare Australia data for 5-year-old children in the ACT. Conclusions: There was marked volatility in the types of asthma medication used over the 6 years. Reciprocal trends leading to increased use of spacers and decreased use of nebulisers are in accord with national guidelines for better asthma management. The increasing use of products containing a combination of salmeterol and fluticasone requires ongoing monitoring.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34447651305&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01107.x
DO - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01107.x
M3 - Article
SN - 0025-729X
VL - 187
SP - 10
EP - 13
JO - Medical Journal of Australia
JF - Medical Journal of Australia
IS - 1
ER -