Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002). Table 5-4 illustrates that the rate of those who have ever experienced an asthma episode varies between 38 and 43 per 1,000 people in the population. Table 5-5 shows this rate according to age group and gender. The rate is the same in individuals ages 15 to 34 but higher in those under age 15. The rate for non-Hispanic blacks over age 15 is similar but slightly higher when compared with non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. When reporting episodes experienced in the previous year, blacks report greater frequency (5 percent) than Hispanics (4 percent) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). In the group ages 15 to 34, 4 percent report current asthma symptoms with slightly higher rates during the winter months (7 percent). Women report a higher level of current symptoms (8 percent) than men (6 percent). CDC data from 1980 to the mid-1990s indicate that women were over twice as likely than men to be hospitalized for asthma (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004).