Prevalence of bronchial asthma and its impact on secondary school students in Al Majardah governorate, Aseer region, Saudi Arabia

Bronchial asthma is a major public health problem. The Saudi Initiative for Asthma (2012) reported that the prevalence of asthma in Saudi adults is not well known, but the overall prevalence in Saudi children ranged between 8 to 25%. The current study aimed to assess prevalence, identify triggers and risks and evaluate degree of control among Saudi children. A cross sectional study was conducted among secondary school students in the Al Majaridah governorate, Aseer region, Saudi Arabia using a structured questionnaire.. Responses were received from 792 students of both genders. Asthma prevalence was found to be 9.7%. Many asthmatic students report smoking and contact with animals as major triggers of asthma symptoms and more than two thirds of students had poor asthma control. In conclusion, most asthmatic students are not controlled and further studies of current health education available for students and families are required to explore why this is the case. Objectives: The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence, to identify triggers and risk factors of asthma and to assess the degree of control among Saudi children in the Al Majaridah governorate. Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire which was distributed to all secondary school students in the Al Majaridah governorate during 2021. The questionnaire consisted of many parts; socio-demographics, risk factors, triggers of asthma and asthma control test questions. Data entry and analysis were made using SPSS. Results: Out of a total 1490 secondary school students, 792 students participated in this study giving a response rate of 53%. The mean age of the participants was 17 years and the majority of them were male (62.9%). The prevalence of bronchial asthma was 9.7%. Risk factors of asthma at home were animals or birds (7%), cockroaches (14%), heavy exercise (32%) and smoking (8%). More than two thirds of participants had poorly controlled asthma . Conclusion: The prevalence of bronchial asthma among students in the Al Majaridah governorate was similar to that in previous national studies. Most asthmatic students have poor control of their condition and intensive health education of students and their families is needed. Further studies are suggested to explore the reasons behind poor control of asthma among asthmatic students. Key words: Bronchial asthma, Aseer, Risk factors, Control