Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Apr;9(2):154-60.
doi: 10.1097/aci.0b013e3283292207.

Asthma and ethnic minorities: socioeconomic status and beyond

Erick Forno  1 , Juan C Celedon
Affiliations
Review

Asthma and ethnic minorities: socioeconomic status and beyond

Erick Forno et al. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose of review: We aim to discuss current insights into our understanding of the mechanisms by which socioeconomic status influences the prevalence and severity of asthma in ethnic minorities. In addition, we review potential risk factors for ethnic disparities in asthma that are not mediated by socioeconomic status.

Recent findings: Exposures and factors correlated with ethnicity through socioeconomic status (e.g. indoor and outdoor air quality, smoke exposure, and access to healthcare) are likely to explain a significant proportion of the observed ethnic differences in asthma morbidity. However, other factors correlated with ethnicity (e.g. genetic variation) can impact ethnic disparities in asthma independently of and/or interacting with socioeconomic status-related factors.

Summary: Socioeconomic status is a rough marker of a variety of environmental/behavioral exposures and a very important determinant of differences in asthma prevalence and severity among ethnic minorities in the United States. However, socioeconomic status is unlikely to be the sole explanation for ethnic disparities in asthma, which may also be due to differences in genetic variation and gene-by-environment interactions among ethnic groups.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Underemployment, household income, insurance type, and asthma prevalence in children 0–17 years of age in the United States
Data from: Flores G, Tomany-Korman SC, Pediatrics 2008;121:e286-98[32] 1Percentage of households without a full-time employed adult. 2Percentage of households with combined income below 200% of the federal poverty level. 3Reported asthma prevalence. PI = Pacific Islander. NA = Native American. AA = African American.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Asher MI, Montefort S, Bjorksten B, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys. Lancet. 2006 Aug 26;368(9537):733–743. - PubMed
    1. Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Mortality. New York: American Lung Association; 2007. [updated 2007; cited 2008 October]; Available from: http://www.lungusa.org.
    1. Akinbami LJ. The State of Childhood Asthma, United States, 19807#x02013;2005. Hyatsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2006. Dec,
    1. Wright RJ, Mitchell H, Visness CM, et al. Community Violence and Asthma Morbidity: The Inner-City Asthma Study. Am J Public Health. 2004 Apr 1;94(4):625–632. - PMC - PubMed
    1. McDaniel M, Paxson C, Waldfogel J. Racial Disparities in Childhood Asthma in the United States: Evidence From the National Health Interview Survey, 1997 to 2003. Pediatrics. 2006 May 1;117(5):e868–e877. - PubMed

Publication types