Risk factors for asthma prevalence and chronic respiratory illnesses among residents of different neighbourhoods in Buffalo, New York

School‐Based Pediatric Asthma Surveillance in Massachusetts From 2005 to 2009

“…10,15,16 Furthermore, this finding is noted in other epidemiologic studies that report male sex as a risk factor for asthma. 18 On the other hand, race/ethnicity data presented a new set of challenges. The categories used by DESE and adopted by this surveillance system were not readily available in the school health record and, if available, did not always conform to the DESE categories.…”

Geographic variations of childhood asthma hospitalization and outpatient visits and proximity to ambient pollution sources at a U.S.-Canada border crossing

“…For example, several published population-based and health care utilization studies have produced persuasive evidence suggesting a combination of contributing factors to asthma exacerbations and prevalence rates in neighborhoods located in close proximity to major traffic zones in western New York [7-14]. The evidence emerging from these reports lends credence to the hypothesis that traffic-related pollutants play a major role in the worsening of asthma and its development.…”

“…(3) Two house-to-house surveys of home environmental factors [18,19], conducted six years apart, suggested that household triggers such as smoking, humidifiers, and age of housing units were associated with increased asthma prevalence. (4) A separate analysis of socioeconomic factors [14,18,20] suggested that asthma prevalence varied by race, gender, and maternal history of asthma among children 4 to 13 and women 18 to 54 years of age. Additionally, a recent study of risk factors for asthma showed that location, gender, age, and race were significant factors even after adjusting for age of housing, pets, molds, animal triggers, and smoking [14].…”

“…(4) A separate analysis of socioeconomic factors [14,18,20] suggested that asthma prevalence varied by race, gender, and maternal history of asthma among children 4 to 13 and women 18 to 54 years of age. Additionally, a recent study of risk factors for asthma showed that location, gender, age, and race were significant factors even after adjusting for age of housing, pets, molds, animal triggers, and smoking [14]. …”

What Race and Ethnicity Measure in Pharmacologic Research

“…39 For example, several studies find that the concentration of poverty, substandard housing conditions, and deteriorating infrastructure in poor minority neighborhoods is associated with blacks having a higher prevalence of asthma as compared to other racial groups. 40,41 From an exogenous perspective, minority status is a proxy for external exposure to stressors and/or environmental toxins and allergens from neighborhood environments that can interact with genes, drug response, and health outcomes. Clearly, the information captured by asking the simple question, "What is your race?"…”