Building the neighborhood to improve health

Abstract

Asthma and allergy conditions remain among the most common and expensive disorders in child and adolescent health care, with little change in prevalence or severity, especially among our poorest children. The newest breakthroughs in patient care cannot compensate for the large and increasing numbers of children who are more vulnerable because they live in substandard housing with exposure to mold and other allergens. They attend old schools in poor neighborhoods infested with pests such as rats, mice, and cockroaches, and they experience long-term stress owing to housing insecurity, food insecurity, and violence.