Relationships between pediatric asthma and socioeconomic/urban variables in Baltimore, Maryland.
Spatial relationships between clinical data for pediatric asthmatics (hospital and emergency department utilization rates), and socioeconomic and urban characteristics in Baltimore City were analyzed with the aim of identifying factors that contribute to increased asthma rates. Socioeconomic variables and urban characteristics derived from satellite data explained 95% of the spatial variation in hospital rates. The proportion of families headed by a single female was the most important variable accounting for 89% of the spatial variation. Evidence suggests that the high rates of hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits may partially be due to the difficulty of single parents with limited resources managing their child's asthma condition properly. This knowledge can be used for education towards mitigating ED and hospital events in Baltimore City.
Kimes
Daniel
D
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Stop 923, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA. dan@pika.gsfc.nasa.gov
Ullah
Asad
A
Levine
Elissa
E
Nelson
Ross
R
Timmins
Sidey
S
Weiss
Sheila
S
Bollinger
Mary E
ME
Blaisdell
Carol
C
D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population