Social Determinants: Taking the Social Context of Asthma Seriously

Although asthma has emerged as a major contributor to disease and disability among US children, the burden of this disease is unevenly distributed within the population. This article provides a brief overview of social-status variables that predict variations in asthma risks and social exposures, su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 2009-03, Vol.123 (Supplement), p.S174-S184
Main Authors: Williams, David R, Sternthal, Michelle, Wright, Rosalind J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asthma
Asthma - epidemiology
Asthma in children
Biological and medical sciences
Care and treatment
Caregivers - psychology
Child
Child development
Childhood asthma
Children & youth
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma
Continental Population Groups
Delivery of Health Care
Epidemiology
General aspects
Health Services Accessibility
Health Services Needs and Demand
Health Status Disparities
Humans
Medical sciences
Pediatrics
Pneumology
Poverty
Prevention
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Social aspects
Social Environment
Socioeconomic Factors
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
United States - epidemiology
Urban Population
Violence
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Summary:Although asthma has emerged as a major contributor to disease and disability among US children, the burden of this disease is unevenly distributed within the population. This article provides a brief overview of social-status variables that predict variations in asthma risks and social exposures, such as stress and violence, that are emerging as important risk factors. The central focus of the article is on the distal social variables that have given rise to unhealthy residential environments in which the risk factors for asthma and other diseases are clustered. Effective initiatives for the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma need to address these nonmedical determinants of the prevalence of asthma.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275
DOI:10.1542/peds.2008-2233H