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Published on: August 7, 2017
Association of Neighborhood Characteristics With Pediatric Asthma
Emmanuel Aryee1, James M Perrin2, Dorothea Iannuzzi3
1MassGeneral Hospital for Children, (E Aryee, J M Perrin, KA Kuhlthau, NM Oreskovic) Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Living in supportive and safe neighborhoods is linked to lower asthma rates in low-income children. However, neighborhood quality did not affect asthma severity in this study.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Social Epidemiology
Background:
- Asthma is a significant public health concern, particularly among low-income children.
- Neighborhood characteristics are increasingly recognized as social determinants of child health.
- Understanding these associations can inform targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between neighborhood attributes and asthma prevalence and severity.
- To analyze data from a nationally representative sample of low-income children.
- To identify potential environmental factors influencing childhood asthma.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2018 National Survey of Children's Health.
- Focused on a sample of 8,653 low-income children aged 0-17 years.
- Employed logistic regression to assess associations between neighborhood scores (support, safety, resources, quality) and asthma outcomes, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Children in neighborhoods with higher overall scores, support, safety, and quality showed significantly lower odds of parent-reported asthma (OR=0.9, P=0.02).
- No significant association was found between neighborhood scores and asthma severity.
- These findings highlight the protective effect of favorable neighborhood environments on asthma prevalence.
Conclusions:
- Favorable neighborhood characteristics are associated with reduced asthma prevalence in low-income children.
- Neighborhood improvements may be a viable strategy for public health initiatives targeting childhood asthma.
- Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms linking neighborhood factors to asthma severity.
Objective:
To examine associations between neighborhood characteristics and asthma prevalence and severity among low-income children in a large nationally representative sample.
Methods:
Data source: 2018 National Survey of Children's Health, limited to low-income children, ages 0-17 years. We grouped parent responses about neighborhood characteristics into 5 scores: neighborhood support, safety, resources and quality, and a total score. Logistic regression compared rates and severity of asthma by neighborhood scores, adjusting for age, sex, race, and income.
Results:
Of 8,653 low-income children, those living in neighborhoods with better total neighborhood scores were significantly less likely to have parent-reported asthma; OR = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.8-1.0; P = .02, with similar findings for children living in neighborhoods with higher support, safety, and quality scores. We found no associations between neighborhood scores and asthma severity in this population.
Conclusions:
Favorable neighborhoods are associated with lower parent-reported asthma prevalence in low-income children but not asthma severity. These data may support providers and policy makers interested in child asthma in addressing neighborhood improvement.
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