Clinical profile, health-related quality of life, and asthma control in children attending US asthma camps

Background: Approximately 120 asthma camps presently serve nearly 10,000 children nationwide. A clinical profile of the children who attend asthma camps has not been published. Objectives: To create a standardized universal health history camp application that includes an assessment of health-related quality of life using the Child Asthma Short Form; to test a newly validated tool, the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), to assess asthma control in children; to provide a clinical snapshot of the overall status of children with asthma in the United States; and to determine the benefit of children's asthma camps. Methods: participating camps distributed the universal health history and the Child Asthma Short Form as part of their application. The C-ACT was distributed separately. Results: A total of 1,783 campers from 24 camps in 17 states provided the requested information. Camp attendees generally had moderately severe asthma, as indicated by a mean +/- SD parent-reported severity rating of 4.86 +/- 2.10 on a 10-point scale. Average daytime and nighttime symptom scores and functional limitation scores indicated children moderately burdened by their asthma symptoms. Using the C-ACT, 37% of children were found to have inadequately controlled asthma. Children who had attended asthma camp the previous year reported better use of asthma management tools, were more likely to be using controller therapy, and had more responsibility for taking their medication (P < .05). Conclusion: The burden of asthma experienced by children attending asthma camps is substantial, suggesting that there is an opportunity to improve the lives of children attending asthma camps.