Most Current Statistic: 

• Adjusted Asthma Mortality Rate per 100,000: 1.29
• Definition: Adjusted Mortality Rate per 100,000 due to Asthma 
• Total Number of Deaths due to Asthma in Indiana, 2020: 90
• Data Source & Year: Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Vital Records, 2021
• Suggested Citation: Indiana Department of Health Vital Records [IDOH Vital Records]. (2023). Indiana Vital Statistics, 2021. Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) 

Last Updated: February 28, 2023

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH)’s Chronic Respiratory Disease Section (CRDS) works under the grant cooperative agreement CDC-RFA-EH19-1902, titled ‘A Comprehensive Public Health Approach to Asthma Control Through Evidence-Based Interventions’.

Under the cooperative agreement CRDS’s purpose is to improve the reach, quality, effectiveness, and sustainability of asthma control services and to reduce asthma morbidity, morality, and disparities by implementing evidence-based strategies across multiple sectors.

The activities also align with the CDC Initiative, Controlling Childhood Asthma Reducing Emergencies (CCARE) – an objective of the prevention of 500,000 Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalization due to asthma among children with asthma by August 31, 2024. Along with our multi-sector partners, the use of evidence-based interventions, outlined in the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program (NACP)’s ‘EXHALE’ technical package we continue to expand the reach and access to quality care to individuals with asthma.

"Deaths due to asthma are thought to be largely preventable, particularly among children and young adults. National asthma guidelines recommend early treatment and supportive efforts that focus on providing quality health care and patient education to patients who are at high risk of asthma-related deaths." [Source: CDC]  

Use for Asthma Mortality Surveillance: 

Information on mortalities for the state of Indiana are made available annually by IDOH's Vital Records. IDOH's CRDS makes use of this data to determine the number of deaths annually and determine the mortality rate due to asthma. This data provides an in-depth look at the number of deaths with an underlying cause of death listed as asthma (ICD-10 codes: J45-J46). Some of the questions this data can answer are: 

• What are the numbers and rates of mortalities due to asthma? 
• Are the mortality rates and numbers higher than the national rate or the HP2030 objectives? 
• Does asthma mortality vary by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and/or geography? 
• What are the yearly trends in asthma mortality rates? 

The CDC's National Asthma Control Program (NACP) developed EXHALE, a set of 6 strategies that each contribute to better asthma control. Each EXAHLE strategy has been proven to reduce asthma-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and healthcare costs. Using the EXHALE strategies together in a community can have the greatest impact.

Education: on asthma self-management

X-tinguishing: smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke

Home: visits for trigger reduction and asthma self-management education

Achievement: of guidelines-based medical management

Linkages: and coordination of care across settings

Environmental: policies or best practices to reduce asthma triggers from indoor, outdoor, or occupational sources

Limitations of Mortality Data: 

• When comparing rates over time or across different population's age-adjusted rates are used to account the diverse age distribution of the populations as the crude rate comparisons can be misleading. Population-based rates have been age-adjusted to the 2000 standard population.
• Some rates if based on small numbers may be unstable due to random chance factors and should be used with caution. All rates provided above are properly adjusted and above the number of deaths considered to be unreliable. 

Information on mortalities for the state of Indiana are made available annually by IDOH's Vital Records. IDOH's CRDS makes use of this data to determine the number of deaths annually and determine the mortality rate due to asthma. This data provides an in-depth look at the number of deaths with an underlying cause of death listed as asthma (ICD-10 codes: J45-J46).

"The Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) provides that the data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) may be used only for the purpose for which they were obtained; any effort to determine the identity of any reported cases, or to use the information for any purpose other than for statistical reporting and analysis, is against the law. Therefore users will:

• Use these data for statistical reporting and analysis only.
• For sub-national geography, do not present or publish death or birth counts of 9 or fewer or rates based on counts of nine or fewer (in figures, graphs, maps, table, etc.).
• Make no attempt to learn the identity of any person or establishment included in these data.
• Make no disclosure or other use of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently and advise the Director, NCHS of any such discovery."

[Source: CDC Wonder]

For the most recent Asthma Data by State or Territory: CDC Most Recent Asthma State or Territory Data

Helpful Data Definitions: 

• Unstable/Unreliable Rate: A mortality rate that should be interpreted with caution as the estimates are calculated with fewer than 20 deaths in the numerator. 
• Suppressed Rate: A mortality rate that is not provided as the estimates were calculated with fewer than 10 deaths in the numerator.