title: Allergic rhinitis quality of life in urban children with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Urban children with asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) are at risk for experiencing worse AR-related quality of life (QOL). Although AR may be underdiagnosed and undertreated in urban minority children, research has not considered which illness-related indicators (eg, AR control) may contribute to AR QOL in this population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations among AR control, asthma control, allergy symptoms, asthma symptoms, and AR QOL in a sample of 195 urban caregivers and their children with asthma (7-9 years of age) from African American, Latino, and non-Latino white backgrounds. Racial and ethnic differences in AR QOL were also examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Families resided in 1 of 4 cities selected as recruitment sources because of their high concentrations of ethnic minority and non-Latino white, urban families. Caregivers and children completed a series of interview-based and clinician-based assessments across one academic year and 4-week periods to track daily asthma and nasal symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Better AR control was associated with higher AR QOL (β = -.32, P < .01) and all QOL subscales. AR control predicted AR QOL over and above asthma control (β = -.28, P < .01). Controlling for AR control, non-Latino white children reported better QOL related to practical problems than both Latino and African American children (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that strategies to enhance AR control in urban children with asthma may assist in improving AR QOL. Non-Latino white children may experience less impairment of their AR QOL because of practical problems (eg, blow nose) than African American or Latino children with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. Electronic address: reverhart@vcu.edu.
authors.forename: Robin S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Everhart
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Sheryl J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kopel
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: McCue
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koinis-Mitchell
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D044469:Racial Groups; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population