Childhood asthma in Melbourne’s inner west: Emergency department visits and parental perspectives on enablers and barriers of care

Abstract

Background and objectives In Australia, asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease, with prevalence and care varying across communities. In three local government areas (LGAs) in Melbourne’s inner west, we compared childhood asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits to Victoria overall, and explored parents’ perceived enablers and barriers to community-based asthma care. Methods We used an administrative dataset (2007–19) and a cross-sectional survey of parents across six primary schools in the three LGAs (2022–23). Descriptive analysis was conducted to present childhood asthma-related ED rates, and asthma control, management practices, parental perceived asthma care enablers and barriers. Differences in these measures across LGAs were also examined. Results Childhood asthma-related ED visit rates were 26–53% higher in the three LGAs compared with Victoria overall. Parents (n = 545) identified general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists and EDs as the most helpful resources, but faced barriers to community-based asthma care, such as fear during asthma flare-ups, difficulty accessing GPs, and concerns about medication side effects. Discussion Melbourne’s inner west has disproportionately higher asthma-related ED presentation rates. This warrants further investigation and development of strategies to improve community-based asthma care and reduce triggers, including air pollution.