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Risk factors for asthma prevalence among urban and nonurban African American children

J von Maffei1, W S Beckett, K Belanger

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

The Journal of Asthma : Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
|November 21, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Urban living increases asthma risk in African American children. However, factors like maternal asthma, smoking, and home environment are more significant than urban residence alone.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Asthma Research
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Urban residence is a known risk factor for childhood asthma.
  • Identifying specific contributing factors is crucial for effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine multiple risk factors for asthma simultaneously in African American children.
  • To determine if urban residence remains a significant risk factor after accounting for other variables.

Main Methods:

  • Survey of 2409 African American mothers with at least one child under 18.
  • Assessed prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma and various potential risk factors.
  • Statistical analysis to identify significant associations.

Main Results:

  • Sixteen percent of children had physician-diagnosed asthma.
  • Maternal asthma/allergies, maternal smoking, humidifying devices, and gas ranges were significantly associated with childhood asthma.
  • Urban residence was initially related but lost significance when other factors were controlled.

Conclusions:

  • Asthma in urban African American children is linked to specific, identifiable factors.
  • Environmental and familial factors within the home play a critical role in asthma development.
  • Public health interventions should focus on these modifiable risk factors.

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