Comparison of asthma prevalence among African American teenage youth attending public high schools in rural Georgia and urban Detroit
Recommended Citation
Ownby DR, Tingen MS, Havstad S, Waller JL, Johnson CC, and Joseph CL. Comparison of asthma prevalence among African American teenage youth attending public high schools in rural Georgia and urban Detroit. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015 Sep;136(3):595-600.e3.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2015
Publication Title
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of asthma among urban African American (AA) populations has attracted research attention, whereas the prevalence among rural AA populations is poorly documented.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the prevalence of asthma among AA youth in rural Georgia and urban Detroit, Michigan.
METHODS: The prevalence of asthma was compared in population-based samples of 7297 youth attending Detroit public high schools and in 2523 youth attending public high schools in rural Georgia. Current asthma was defined as a physician diagnosis and symptoms in the previous 12 months. Undiagnosed asthma was defined as multiple respiratory symptoms in the previous 12 months without a physician diagnosis.
RESULTS: In Detroit, 6994 (95.8%) youth were AA compared with 1514 (60.0%) in Georgia. Average population density in high school postal codes was 5628 people/mile(2) in Detroit and 45.1 people/mile(2) in Georgia. The percentages of poverty and of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches were similar in both areas. The prevalence of current diagnosed asthma among AA youth in Detroit and Georgia was similar: 15.0% (95% CI, 14.1-15.8) and 13.7% (95% CI, 12.0-17.1) (P = .22), respectively. The prevalence of undiagnosed asthma in AA youth was 8.0% in Detroit and 7.5% in Georgia (P = .56). Asthma symptoms were reported more frequently among those with diagnosed asthma in Detroit, whereas those with undiagnosed asthma in Georgia reported more symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Among AA youth living in similar socioeconomic circumstances, asthma prevalence is as high in rural Georgia as it is in urban Detroit, suggesting that urban residence is not an asthma risk factor.
Medical Subject Headings
Adolescent; Black or African American; Asthma; Female; Georgia; Humans; Male; Michigan; Population Density; Poverty; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Rural Population; Schools; Urban Population
PubMed ID
25825215
Volume
136
Issue
3
First Page
595
Last Page
600
