Asthma prevalence and risk factor assessment of an underserved and primarily Latino child population in Colorado

Asthma is a substantialpublic health burden among children. Disease and risk-factor discrepancies have been identified among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. At a rural health clinic (Salud Family Health Center) with primarily underserved and Latino patients in Colorado, the authors evaluated 250 medical records and administered 57 parental surveys to describe this population with respect to asthma diagnosis, asthma-like symptoms, and environmental/occupational risk factors among children. Wheeze and asthma were indicated in 9.7% and 8.9% of medical records, respectively. Twenty parents (35.7%) reported in a questionnaire that their child had experienced wheezing or whistling in the chest. Parents reported that children play in farming fields (21.8%) and feed livestock/animals (10.9%). Additionally, 13.2% and 9.4% of children have a household member who works around livestock or around grain, feed, or dust, respectively. Information from the Salud population can be used to develop larger-scale research and public health initiatives to eliminate health and risk factor disparities among underserved children.