One In Ten Canadians Have Been Diagnosed With Asthma

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of AstraZeneca Canada finds that one in ten (11%) Canadians have been diagnosed by a health professional as having asthma. Moreover, one-third (31%) of Canadian asthma sufferers say their asthma has caused them to gasp for air or required a hospital or physician visit in the past year.

Canadian asthma sufferers have been unable to participate in a number of activities as a result of their asthma.

In addition, one in five (20%) Canadian asthma sufferers have had to miss or delay an outing, day trip, weekend getaway or vacation because of their asthma and one in four (27%) say they are concerned about their asthma when they are planning a trip or a vacation, with 9% who are "very concerned."

Asked which of six Canadian sights they consider to be the most "breathtaking", Canadian asthma sufferers most often cite the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta (32%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/AstraZeneca poll conducted from April 19th to April 21st and April 26th to April 28th, 2005. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1772.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The total number of reported diagnosed asthma sufferers interviewed is 215 of which the margin of error is 1776.7%. The margin of error will be larger within other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

One In Ten Canadians Have Been Diagnosed With Asthma

Out of the 2000 Canadians polled, roughly one in ten (11%) say they have been diagnosed by a health professional as having asthma.

• Quebec residents (13%) are more likely than those in British Columbia (8%) to have been diagnosed with asthma by a health care professional.

One-Third Of Sufferers Have Had To Gasp For Air, Visit A Doctor Or Hospital In The Past Year Because Of Their Asthma

In the past year, asthma has caused one in three Canadian sufferers (31%) to gasp for air, or visit a hospital or physician.

• There were no age or gender differences.

Asthma Sufferers Unable To Participate In Many Activities

When asked what types of activity, if any, their asthma has stopped them from participating in, one third (30%) of Canadians with asthma spontaneously mention running. Other notable mentions include snow shovelling (13%) and going to the gym or working out (12%). Overall, 55% of Canadians with asthma have had to give up some sort of activity because of their condition.

One In Five Sufferers Have Had To Cancel/Postpone Trips, One In Four Have Vacation Concerns

One in five (20%) Canadian asthma sufferers have had to miss or delay an outing, day trip, weekend getaway or vacation because of their asthma.

• There were no age or gender differences.

When planning a trip or vacation, Canadians with asthma are generally not overly concerned with their condition. One quarter (27%), say they are either very or somewhat concerned, while over seven in ten (72%) say they are not very or not at all concerned (with 48% saying they are not at all concerned).

• Asthma sufferers 55 years or older (38%) are more likely to be very or somewhat concerned than those in the 18 to 34 age range (19%).

What Canadian Sight Do They Consider To Be The Most "Breathtaking"?

Among the Canadian sights listed, the Canadian Rocky Mountains (AB) are most often chosen as the most breathtaking sight (32%), followed by Lake Louise in Banff (AB), cited by one in five Canadian asthma sufferers (20%). Smaller proportions of Canadians with asthma find Niagara Falls (ON) and Cape Breton's Cabot Trail (NS) to be the most breathtaking sights (18% and 15%, respectively). The Chateau Frontenac on the St Lawrence River, Quebec City (PQ) and the Butchart Gardens in Victoria (BC) were both cited least frequently (6% each) as most breathtaking Canadian sight.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Jennifer McLeod
Senior Research Manager
Ipsos-Reid
416.324.2900
[email protected]

Ipsos-Reid
Ipsos-Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos-Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos-Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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