Unraveling the ecology of risks for early childhood asthma among ethnically diverse families in the southwest.
OBJECTIVE
We describe the prevalence of asthma risk factors within racial/ethnic and language groups of infants participating in an intervention study for reducing chronic asthma.


METHODS
Low-income children aged 9 to 24 months with 3 or more episodes of wheezing illness were enrolled. Baseline information included family and medical histories, allergic status, environmental exposures, emotional environment, and caregiver psychosocial resources.


RESULTS
Racial/ethnic and language groups-European Americans, African Americans, high-acculturated Hispanics, and low-acculturated Hispanics-showed different patterns of risk factors for childhood asthma, with low-acculturated Hispanics showing the most distinctive pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
Patterns of covariation of biological and psychosocial risk factors for childhood asthma were associated with racial/ethnic and language status among urban, low-income children.
Klinnert
Mary D
MD
National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colo 80206, USA. klinnertm@njc.org
Price
Marcella R
MR
Liu
Andrew H
AH
Robinson
JoAnn L
JL
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017028:Caregivers / Q000592:standards; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D014504:Urban Health; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000485:Allergens