HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES IN CONTROLLING ASTHMA AMONG NIGERIAN CHILDREN

Abstract

Asthma is a severe and widespread global health problem that affects peo ple of all ages and backgrounds. Asthma is a common chronic illness in children and adolescents with  higher morbidity and mortality rates among older school-age children and early adolescents . Statistics show that the occurrence of asthma in Nigeria ranges from 14% to 18% (2)  in the general population with other research studies revealing the challenging issue o f asthma in Nigerian children with a frequency ranging from 5.1% to 14.3% (6). Consistent with its chronicity and its manifestations is the fact that asthma impairs patients well-bei ng and can significantly interfere with the ability to undertake normal daily activities. Despite its prevalence, enormous advances have been made in the aspect of understanding  and management of asthma over the last 2 decades. This article highlights the  social determinants of asthma in children such as neighborhood quality, poverty, stress and also  provides information on factors affecting the effective management of childhood asthma in Nigeria.