Racial and ethnic differences in the use of environmental control practices among children with asthma.
OBJECTIVE
Minority children with asthma suffer a disproportionate burden of asthma morbidity. National asthma guidelines recommend use of environmental control practices (ECPs) as part of a comprehensive approach to asthma management. The purpose of this study was to examine use of ECPs among minority and nonminority children with asthma.


METHODS
The authors used data from the four state sample of the National Asthma Survey, a telephone survey conducted in 2003. The sample included Alabama, California, Illinois, and Texas. Parents provided responses for 2003 children < or =17 years of age with a diagnosis of asthma. The outcomes of interest were use of mattress covers, use of pillow covers, smoke avoidance, pet avoidance, and carpet removal. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the rates of use of these ECPs among minority and nonminority children.


RESULTS
Black and Hispanic children with asthma were less likely to use mattress covers and pillow covers compared to white children in these four states. Smoking avoidance was less likely among black children but more likely among Hispanic children compared to white children. Both black and Hispanic children were more likely to live in a home without pets and without carpets compared to white children.


CONCLUSIONS
These data illustrate that there are differences in the patterns of ECP use among minority and nonminority children with asthma in these four states. This information can help target physician counseling regarding ECP use in asthmatic children and should inform interventions to improve asthma management among minority children.
Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. angkana.roy@mssm.edu
Angkana
A
Roy
Juan P
JP
Wisnivesky
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology