The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71870

Tomas Tamulis, MSc, PhD student, Environmental and Occupational Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 56, Tampa, FL 33612, 727 4819749, ttamulis@hsc.usf.edu and Monroe James King, DO, Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, 13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612.

Introduction: Disadvantaged individuals experience higher risk for asthma displaying a social class gradient, and are very likely to confound the relationship between disease and exposure to risk factor.

Methods: The data on asthma hospitalizations in 1998-1999 (ICD-9 430.0-430.0) was collected and analyzed by the Asthma Surveillance Committee formed by the American Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Florida Chapter, Tampa, FL. The number of hospitalizations for asthma and standardized morbidity rates for different socioeconomic level categories were calculated for each zip code area and for artificially created low, medium and high socioeconomic status areas in the county. The data on income, poverty, education less than ninth grade, and unemployment rates by zip area code represented year 1999 and was obtained from the US Census 2000. The univariate descriptive and correlation analyses along with c2 test for trend were conducted to evaluate association between asthma hospitalization and poverty, unemployment, family and per capita income, and education levels.

Results: There was strong statistically significant association between increased relative risk for asthma hospitalization and lower education; higher unemployment; and higher poverty as indicators of lower socioeconomic status. There was also statistically significant trend revealed in different socioeconomic status areas. The existing evidence disclosed that different socioeconomic status indicators are significantly associated with increased risk for asthma hospitalization.

Conclusions: The important role of socioeconomic factors could be well explained by strong interaction between socioeconomic characteristics of residence place and home environment and life-style factors related to specific socioeconomic medium. The definition of the person's residence place socioeconomic status is crucial in the evaluation and management of risk for asthma morbidity.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to recognize the importance of socioeconomic confounding effect in the risk evaluation and management for asthma mortality and morbidity.

Keywords: Social Inequalities, Asthma

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.