Epidemiological Studies on Childhood Asthma Prevalence
Summary
Childhood asthma remains one of the most common chronic conditions worldwide, with prevalence estimates varying markedly between regions, socioeconomic strata and study methodologies. Epidemiological investigations have documented rising prevalence in many low- and middle-income countries, stabilisation in some high-income settings and reductions in others, reflecting differences in environmental exposures, genetic susceptibilities and healthcare access. Standardisation of case definitions and survey instruments has proven challenging, leading to heterogeneity in reported rates. Research efforts have increasingly harnessed administrative and electronic health record data to complement questionnaire-based approaches, enabling large-scale surveillance, temporal trend analysis and the identification of geographic hotspots. Methodological advances in operational definitions, algorithm validation and spatial modelling have refined estimates of childhood asthma prevalence, informing public health policy, resource allocation and targeted prevention strategies.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Epidemiological Studies on Childhood Asthma Prevalence publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in epidemiological studies on childhood asthma prevalence across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Prevalence: The proportion of a population affected by a condition at a given time.
Incidence: The rate at which new cases of a condition occur in a population over a specified period.
Operational definition: A precise set of criteria used to classify individuals as having or not having a condition in research.
Bayesian spatial regression: A statistical method that incorporates prior information and accounts for geographic correlation when modelling spatially distributed outcomes.
References
- Operational definitions of paediatric asthma used in epidemiological studies: A systematic review. Journal of Global Health (2021).
- Developments in asthma incidence and prevalence in Alberta between 1995 and 2015. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology (2020).
- Exploration of the spatial patterns and determinants of asthma prevalence and health services use in Ontario using a Bayesian approach. PLOS ONE (2018).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.