The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program handed down new guidelines—the first in 10 years. Among the many suggestions in the 400-page document, a new category for children ages 5-11 was created. The lead researcher claimed that this age bracket is important because new evidence suggests that children may respond differently than adults to asthma medications.

Asthma—which causes airways to narrow in response to allergens, making breathing difficult—is 2-3 times more likely to occur in African American children. Learn more about juvenile asthma and treatment at The American Lung Association.