Ball State: Hoosiers suffering from asthma at record rates

MUNCIE | Indiana adult residents are suffering from asthma in large numbers with Hispanics, African-Americans, women and the poor having the highest diagnosis rates, according to a study from Ball State University.

The study found 13.8 percent of Hoosier adults were diagnosed with asthma in 2010. Ten years ago the rate was 11.3 percent

Hispanics are most acutely affected at 19 percent, while African-Americans are at 18.1 percent. Women have higher numbers of diagnosis at 16.3 percent, compared with 11.1 percent for men.

The growth of asthma is mysterious considering that smoking, the key trigger for attacks, has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, said Kerry Anne McGeary, GHI director and Phyllis A. Miller professor of health economics in the Miller College of Business.

She also pointed out there may be a correlation between obesity and asthma. The study found that 16.8 percent of obese adults had the disease compared with 12.3 percent of people who are not obese.