Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an under-resourced community
Citation:
Beck, A., L. Wymer, E. Pinzer, W. Friedman, P. Ashley, AND S. Vesper. Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an under-resourced community. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2(4):100143, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100143
Impact/Purpose:
The housing of an under-resourced primarily Black community was renovated to green-building standards. Based on Ohio Medicaid data, infants born after the renovations were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with asthma at age 7. Clinicians should discuss the housing conditions with potential parents and the implications for the development of asthma for their children.
Description:
Background Despite improvements in asthma symptom management and asthma morbidity, the prevalence of asthma in the United States remains high, especially in under-resourced communities. Objective Our goal was to determine whether housing renovations affect prevalence of asthma in an under-resourced community. Methods The Fay Apartments (n¿800 units) in Cincinnati, Ohio, were renovated to “green-building” standards between 2010 and 2012 and renamed the Villages at Roll Hill. The prevalence of asthma for the 7-year-olds in the Villages at Roll Hill was determined by accessing Ohio Medicaid data for the years 2013 to 2021. Results In the first 6 years after the renovations (2013-2018), the prevalence of asthma for 7-year-olds in the community averaged 12.7%. In contrast, in post-renovation years 7 through 9 (2019-2021), the average prevalence of asthma was 5.9%. Logistic regression modeling for the log odds of asthma diagnosis in this age group was employed to test the statistical significance of asthma prevalence for 2013-2018 versus 2019-2021. The model resulted in the demonstration of a significant (p<0.001) reduction in asthma prevalence between 2013-2018 versus 2019-2021. Conclusions The renovation of an under-resourced community’s housing resulted in a lower prevalence of asthma for 7-year-olds who were born after the renovations were completed.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an under-resourced community