Environmental factors and limited access to healthcare could be contributing to higher-than-average cases of asthma in disadvantaged regional areas. Research has identified more than 4 hundred places in Australia where there's a prevalence of the disease.
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00:00Catching a simple cold can be life-threatening for 10-year-old Oakley Elliott.
00:07First, I get a cough and I get tired in the chest and I struggle to breathe.
00:12And I feel scared because I don't want to go to hospital.
00:17Oakley has a severe form of asthma.
00:20She and her mum have to travel regularly from their home in Albury in southern New South Wales
00:26to Sydney for treatment.
00:28She's had 11 weeks off school this year, which is more than a term, which is a bit of a concern.
00:34Albury is one of hundreds of asthma hotspots identified in new research from the University of New South Wales.
00:41The study is based on census data and confirms higher rates of childhood asthma in poorer postcodes.
00:49So the majority of the hotspots, more than 60%, were in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
00:56Researchers say 84% of the hotspots also have an above-average Indigenous population.
01:03The study doesn't shed any light on why there are higher rates of asthma in these hotspot areas.
01:09But researchers say asthma is often linked to higher levels of pollution, cramped housing, smoking and lower education levels.
01:17Asthma Australia says there are things concerned parents can do to manage symptoms,
01:23like reviewing medication with a doctor, using air filters, cleaning up dust and mould straight away
01:29and minimising the use of gas for cooking and heating.
01:33Just because you live in a hotspot area doesn't mean that there's nothing to do or that your outcomes are written in stone.
01:43For Oakley Elliott, the best outcome would be easier access to treatment.
01:49A person that can look after kids with asthma in Albury.
01:54Until then, the Elliott family say they'll continue to rely on charities to help fund their travel to Sydney.