title: Development of a prototype system for statewide asthma surveillance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We developed and evaluated a statewide and community-level asthma surveillance system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Databases and measures included a community prevalence survey, hospital admissions data, emergency department/outpatient clinic visit records, and a physician survey of diagnosis and treatment practices. We evaluated the system in 5 Maine communities varying in population and income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Asthma hospitalizations were high in the rural/low-socioeconomic-status communities studied, although diagnosed asthma was low. Males were more likely than females to experience asthma symptoms, although they were less likely to have been diagnosed with asthma or to have used hospital-based asthma care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Databases were useful for estimating asthma burden and identifying service needs as well as high-risk groups. They were less useful in estimating severity or in identifying environmental risks.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Research Institute, Portland, Me 04101, USA. rdeprez@phrg.com
authors.forename: Ronald D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Asdigian
authors.forename: L Christine
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: Lee Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baggott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008281:Maine / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors