Abstract
BackgroundPediatric asthma is a serious public health problem in Chicago and has been designated a high priority concern by residents of Chicago's Humboldt Park, a diverse community area with a large number of Puerto Rican, African American, and Mexican American families.MethodsIn May 2009, following the principles of community-based participatory research, a cross-sectional asthma screening survey was administered to adult caregivers of children attending two Humboldt Park elementary schools. Data were analyzed to determine the prevalence of diagnosed and probable asthma as well as the degree of asthma control among affected children; associations between asthma outcomes and mutable triggers were evaluated.ResultsSurveys from 494 children were evaluated. Physician-diagnosed asthma was reported for 24.9% of children and probable asthma identified in an additional 16.2% of children. Asthma was poorly or moderately controlled in 60.0% of diagnosed children. Smoking occurred inside 25.0% of households and 75.0% of caregivers reported idling of vehicles in their community. Report of general stress among caregivers, stress due to community crime, and/or an inability to cope with everyday life were significantly and positively associated with poor asthma morbidity and control among affected children.ConclusionsDespite high prevalence rates and poor asthma morbidity and control in Humboldt Park, the association of these measures with mutable variables is promising. A community-based asthma intervention to address the issues identified in this study is needed to affect positive change.
Highlights
Pediatric asthma is a serious public health problem in Chicago and has been designated a high priority concern by residents of Chicago's Humboldt Park, a diverse community area with a large number of Puerto Rican, African American, and Mexican American families
Among children diagnosed with asthma, those whose caregivers felt unable to cope were more likely to wheeze during the day (PR = 2.39, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.17-4.88), wheeze while exercising (PR = 1.68 95% CI 1.03-2.74), wheeze at night (PR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.09-4.58) and to miss school due to asthma (PR = 2.45, 95% CI 1.21-4.96)
Our study suggests that children in Humboldt Park suffer from tremendously high rates of asthma prevalence and adverse outcomes
Summary
Pediatric asthma is a serious public health problem in Chicago and has been designated a high priority concern by residents of Chicago's Humboldt Park, a diverse community area with a large number of Puerto Rican, African American, and Mexican American families. Despite improvements in care and increased public awareness, racial and ethnic health disparities persist [2,5]. In Chicago, asthma has been documented as a serious pediatric health concern, with asthma prevalence, hospitalization, and mortality rates well above the national average [6,7]. While neighborhood racial composition explained a large proportion of observed variability, the study concluded further research into neighborhood characteristics was needed to better understand persistent disparities. Several social and community factors -- such as exposure to violence,[9,10,11] ambient air pollution,[12,13,14] environmental tobacco smoke,[13,14] indoor allergen levels,[15] and caregiver stress[16] -- have been associated with childhood asthma prevalence and morbidity, and may contribute to disparate asthma outcomes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
