Asthma Medication Prescribing Practices in Pediatric Office Visits

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined how asthma control, demographic, and clinical characteristics are associated with the use of asthma medications in pediatric office visits in the United States. Data from the 2012-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey included patients aged 6 to 17 years, with asthma as a primary diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, code 493.xx). Descriptive weighted analysis evaluated asthma medication use. Multivariable logistic regression examined characteristics associated with asthma prescribing practices. An estimated 2.5 million pediatric office visits were made annually for asthma. The majority of asthma visits involved males (59.3%), children aged 6 to 11 years (54.8%), and whites (73.6%). Several clinical and demographic characteristics contributed to the variations in overall asthma medication use as well as specific drug classes. Lack of documentation of asthma control and uncontrolled asthma were associated with oral corticosteroid and inhaled corticosteroid use in pediatric asthma patients, but not with overall asthma medication use.