Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of children ages 5–12 years with asthma enrolled in the ASTHMA-DIET study
| N (%) or mean ± SD | |
|---|---|
| Children’s characteristics | |
| Age | 9.5 ± 2.3 |
| Female | 68 (46.3) |
| Race | |
| Black/African-American | 141 (95.9) |
| Body mass index | 20.1 ± 5.0 |
| Underweight | 8 (5.4) |
| Normal weight | 69 (46.9) |
| Overweight | 26 (17.7) |
| Obese | 42 (28.6) |
| Asthma medication use | |
| Albuterol | 96 (65.3) |
| Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) | 64 (43.5) |
| Other (cromolyn, leukotriene modifier, theophylline, oral corticosteroids) | 41 (27.9) |
| Asthma severitya | |
| Mild intermittent | 37 (25.2) |
| Mild persistent | 13 (8.8) |
| Moderate persistent | 50 (34.0) |
| Severe persistent | 47 (32.0) |
| Health insurance | |
| Private insurance | 12 (8.2) |
| Public insurance | 133 (90.5) |
| Other | 2 (1.4) |
| Lung function | |
| Pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume (FEV1), L | 1.63 ± 0.49 |
| Pre-bronchodilator forced vital capacity (FVC), L | 1.98 ± 0.66 |
| Pre-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC | 0.84 ± 0.10 |
| Caregiver’s characteristics | |
| Education | |
| Not high school graduate | 42 (28.6) |
| High school graduate | 72 (49.0) |
| At least some college | 32 (21.8) |
| Household income (annual) | |
| < $25,000 | 59 (40.1) |
| $25,000–$50,000 | 19 (12.9) |
| > $50,000 | 3 (2.0) |
| Not reported | 66 (44.9) |
SD standard deviation
aAsthma severity based on symptoms, medication use, activity interference, and spirometry