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Reporting childhood asthma: why? Why not? What else?

A T Koutsavlis1, T Kosatsky, J Cox

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Montreal Regional Public Health Department, 1301 Sherbrooke Street East, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2L 1M3.

Journal of Public Health Policy
|October 18, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Mandatory reporting of childhood asthma could help public health agencies reduce the disease burden. This article evaluates the potential benefits and harms of making pediatric asthma a notifiable disease.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Public Health Policy
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood asthma is a prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease in the US.
  • It is a multifactorial condition with significant economic costs, estimated at $3.2 billion annually in 1999.
  • Current public health strategies advocate for making childhood asthma a notifiable disease to identify and mitigate adverse consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential benefits of mandatory reporting for childhood asthma.
  • To assess the potential harms associated with obliging physicians to report pediatric asthma cases.
  • To provide a comprehensive analysis of the controversy surrounding notifiable disease status for childhood asthma.

Main Methods:

  • Review of public health arguments for mandatory reporting.
  • Analysis of potential public health benefits of identifying modifiable sources.
  • Evaluation of potential negative consequences for physicians and patients.

Main Results:

  • The study provides a thorough evaluation of the issues surrounding mandatory reporting of childhood asthma.
  • It addresses the rationale behind the controversy and offers answers to key questions.
  • The findings aim to inform public health policy decisions regarding pediatric asthma surveillance.

Conclusions:

  • The article offers a detailed examination of the pros and cons of mandatory childhood asthma reporting.
  • It seeks to resolve long-standing questions regarding the implementation and impact of such policies.
  • Informed decision-making is crucial for reducing the burden of childhood asthma.

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