DIFFERENCES IN ASTHMA MANAGEMENT BETWEEN WHITE EUROPEAN AND INDIAN SUBCONTINENT ETHNIC-GROUPS LIVING IN SOCIOECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED AREAS INTHE BIRMINGHAM (UK) CONURBATION

Background-Hospital admission rates for asthma have been higher for As ian (Indian subcontinent, ISC) ethnic minority groups in the UK than f or white Europeans (W/E). As this may in part be due to differences in the uptake or delivery of preventative health care strategies, the ex tent to which targeted education and treatment programmes reach these groups needs to be determined. Methods-Six hundred and eighty nine ast hmatic subjects (345 W/E, 344 ISC) of mean (SD) age 33.5 (15) years (r ange 11-59) and mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 80% predicted from districts of high ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivat ion within inner city Birmingham were reviewed in the appropriate dial ect (English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu) in a community based study. Result s-Data adjusted for age and analysed separately for men (M) and women (F) showed no significant differences in the numbers reporting previou s asthma education, assessment of delivery techniques, or being taught about medications, but there were significant differences for advice on trigger factors (M: 52% vs 42%; F: 56% vs 42%), recognition of symp toms (M: 51% vs 43%; F: 53% vs 33%), and ownership of peak flow meters (M: 35% vs 22%; F: 36% vs 24%) for W/E and ISC groups, respectively. Antiinflammatory asthma medications were highly prescribed, but self r eported drug compliance (M: 73% vs 62%), understanding medications (F: 59% vs 39%), and self management (F: 23% vs 12%) varied significantly . Asthma follow up in the community was low for both groups with more of the ISC subjects also being followed up by hospital. Conclusions-Th e management of both ethnic groups has centred on drug prescription, d elivery techniques and compliance, but has been deficient, particularl y in the ISC group, in developing understanding of the disease and sel f management.