Addressing the childhood asthma crisis in Harlem: the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative.
OBJECTIVE
We determined the prevalence of asthma and estimated baseline asthma symptoms and asthma management strategies among children aged 0-12 years in Central Harlem.


METHODS
The Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative is a longitudinal, community-based intervention designed for poor children with asthma. Children aged 0-12 years who live or go to school in the Harlem Children's Zone Project or who participate in any Harlem Children's Zone, Inc, program were screened for asthma. Children with asthma or asthma-like symptoms were invited to participate in an intensive intervention.


RESULTS
Of the 1982 children currently screened, 28.5% have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have asthma, and 30.3% have asthma or asthma-like symptoms. To date, 229 children are enrolled in the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative; at baseline, 24.0% had missed school in the last 14 days because of asthma.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of asthma among children in the Harlem Children's Zone Project is consistent with reports from other poor urban communities. Intensive efforts are under way to reduce children's asthma symptoms and improve their asthma management strategies.
Nicholas
Stephen W
SW
Department of Pediatrics, Harlem Hospital Center/Columbia University, 506 Lenox Avenue, MLK 17-105, New York, NY 10037. swn2@columbia.edu.
Jean-Louis
Betina
B
Ortiz
Benjamin
B
Northridge
Mary
M
Shoemaker
Katherine
K
Vaughan
Roger
R
Rome
Michaela
M
Canada
Geoffrey
G
Hutchinson
Vincent
V
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health