BACKGROUND: Prevalence surveys are important to aid in assessing the current burden of diseases, which will impact on the public health agenda as well as preventive interventions and health policies. Three previous local surveys on asthma prevalence of Filipino adults have been carried out. This is the fourth local survey and is also a part of the second NNHeS study, which is carried out every five years. The purpose of the survey is to determine the trend in asthma prevalence and to aid in formulating and evaluating local initiatives.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of asthma among Filipino adults
METHODOLOGY: Using a multi-staged cluster sampling methodology, this study evaluated 7,202 adults at least 20 years old, from 3,744 households, 79 provinces and 17 regions. A pre-validated written questionnaire for wheezing among children based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies of Childhood (ISAAC) was used as the survey instrument. This instrument was adopted since it has been widely used as a case definition for asthma, which allows for comparison of prevalence outcomes across time and population.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of asthma based on wheezing for the past 12 months was 8.7% (SE 0.4%). Males had a higher prevalence of wheezing for the past 12 months at 9.4% (SE 0.5%) compared to females at 8.2% (SE 0.5%). The overall prevalence of asthma based on wheezing at any time was 14.3% (SE 0.5%). Males had a higher prevalence of wheezing at any time of 14.8% (SE 0.7%) compared to females at 13.8% (SE 0.6%). The prevalence of adult asthma in the rural area was slightly higher than in the urban area (15.3% vs 13.3%), but the difference was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of adult asthma in the Philippine based on the second NHHeS is 8.7%. This figure is lower than previous reported local prevalence data. The prevalence of adult asthma in the rural and urban setting is almost similar.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged 80 And Over ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Asthma ; Characteristics ; Health Policy ; Hypersensitivity ; Philippines ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Respiratory Sounds

BACKGROUND: There has been no documented data on the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among Filipino adults. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among adults in the Philippines. METHODS: Using a multi-staged cluster sampling methodology, this study evaluated 7,202 adults from 3,744 households, 79 provinces and 17 regions. A pre-validated written questionnaire for allergic rhinitis based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies of Childhood was used as the survey instrument. RESULTS: The response rate obtained from the interview was 94.1%. The overall prevalence of nose symptoms in the past 12 months was 20% while prevalence of nose symptoms at any time in the past was 23.8%. The proportion among both sexes was similar. The prevalence was highest among the respondents 40-49 years old. The overall prevalence of nose and eye symptoms for the past twelve months was 14.0%. The prevalence of respondents who reported presence of nose problems for the past twelve months was similar across the 12 months of the year with highest rates noted in the months of June and May. Respondents from the rural area (22.1%) reported a higher prevalence of nose symptoms for the past twelve months compared to respondents from urban area (18%). There was no significant difference in prevalence of nose symptoms among residents living in coastal and/or inland areas. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of allergic rhinitis in the Philippines based on the 2008 National Nutrition and Health Survey is 20.0%.
Adult ; Asthma ; Family Characteristics ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Nose ; Philippines ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Surveys and Questionnaires