A health fair at the Bangor Civic Center on Saturday will include information about asthma and allergies in connection with Asthma Awareness Month.

In the Bangor area, 15 percent of children suffer from asthma, according to a 1996 study of kindergarten students by the American Lung Association of Maine. The statewide median was 8 percent, said Norm Anderson, the lung association’s research director.

A first-time project under way will track changes in asthma prevalence over time and seek reasons for regional variations.

“There have been reports nationally on the rising prevalence of asthma. We want to get an idea where Maine stands,” Anderson said. “We’re right at the beginning stages of trying to figure that out.”

Children and adults may be tested for asthma free of charge from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. A 1:30 p.m. education session will cover the role of medications, self-monitoring skills, environmental triggers and control measures.

New guidelines for asthma diagnosis and disease management were released in February by an expert panel for the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program.

Better education about asthma management can help reduce emergency room visits, hospitalizations and unplanned doctor visits, according to Bangor allergist Dr. Paul Shapero.

Thirty children with moderate to severe asthma will learn about their conditions through the Open Airways program to be offered July 14-18 and Aug. 11-15 at Camp Molly Molasses. The youngsters will attend the day camp along with nonasthmatic children.

The camp experience will be sponsored by the Community Asthma Coalition, made up of Eastern Maine Healthcare, St. Joseph Healthcare and the YWCA.

Saturday’s event is sponsored by WLBZ-TV, Channel 2, in Bangor and Eastern Maine Healthcare.