Prevalence of work-related asthma in Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon.

Introduction. Adults who have asthma that is caused or aggravated by triggers at work experience a reduced quality of life. In this study, the authors sought to estimate the proportion of asthma that is associated with work using a state-based survey of adults with asthma. Methods. In 2005, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon piloted the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Adult Asthma Call-Back Survey, with sample sizes of 867, 469, and 1072, respectively. Six questions addressing work-related asthma (WRA) were analyzed to generate estimates of the proportion of adult asthma that is work-related and compare those with and without WRA. Results. Over half of all adults with asthma (53%) reported that their asthma was caused or made worse by any job they ever had, and among these respondents reporting WRA, only 21.5% to 25.1% reported ever telling or being told by a health professional that their asthma was work-related. Additionally, adults with WRA consistently reported poorer asthma control and higher...