Asthma morbidity in adult Chicago public housing residents.
BACKGROUND
Residents of public housing can experience socioeconomic disadvantages, inadequate access to health care, and particularly substandard indoor air quality due to inadequate building maintenance.


OBJECTIVE
This study investigates demographic, medical management, severity, and household factors associated with asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations.


METHODS
A total of 103 adult participants with asthma from four Chicago housing developments completed surveys and underwent household inspections.


RESULTS
Using stepwise multivariate logistic regression, we identified independent predictors of asthma-related emergency department visits: asthma controller medication use, not keeping an asthma-related doctor's appointment, and frequent nocturnal wheeze episodes. Using stepwise multivariate logistic regression, we identified independent predictors of asthma-related hospitalizations: peeling paint, plaster, or wallpaper, environmental tobacco smoke, written action plan for an asthma-related doctor or emergency department visit, and frequent nocturnal wheeze episodes.


CONCLUSIONS
In multivariate models, factors related to clinical severity and asthma management were related to both emergency department visits and hospitalizations while household conditions were related only to hospitalizations. Interventions to address both asthma management and household environmental triggers may be needed to reduce asthma morbidity in low-income populations.
Lambertino
Anissa
A
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. alambe2@uic.edu
Turyk
Mary E
ME
Curtis
Luke
L
Persky
Victoria W
VW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011638:Public Housing; D055815:Young Adult