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Prevalence and Geographic Distribution of Asthma and Food Allergy in Chicago Public Schools

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Victoria Rivkina, MPH , Center for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Lilliana DeSantiago-Cardenas, MSW , Office of Student Health and Wellness, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH , Center for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Jesse Blumenstock, BS , Center for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Blair Harvey-Gintoft, MSW , Office of Student Health and Wellness, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
Stephanie Whyte, MBA, MD , Office of Student Health and Wellness, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
Background: Approximately 25% of Chicago Public School (CPS) students are affected by chronic disease.  Although asthma and food allergy are two of the most common chronic conditions in the district, they impact different populations in different neighborhoods.

Purpose: Our objective is to utilize the results of the Improving Chronic Disease Verification and Medication Access in Chicago Public Schools study to map and visually represent the prevalence and geographic distribution of asthma and food allergy across the school district.

Significance: Understanding the specific populations that are impacted by certain chronic conditions can allow for more targeted interventions aimed at improving education, management, and overall quality of life for CPS students. 

Methodology: Data for more than 400,000 CPS students were analyzed to determine the prevalence of asthma (4.5%) and food allergy (1.0%).  Home addresses of school recorded cases were geocoded and linked with respective neighborhoods.  Maps were created with case counts of school reported asthma and food allergy per Chicago community area represented by a qualitative graduated color ramp.

Findings: The data show that most CPS students with asthma attend school on the city’s West Side (35.0%), while the majority of CPS students with allergy attend a school on the Chicago’s North-Northwest (47.3%).  In addition, these chronic conditions impact different students demographically and socioeconomically.

Conclusion: Asthma and food allergy impact different populations in different neighborhoods across Chicago.  Knowing this information is imperative to designing and implementing relevant and appropriate chronic disease education and management interventions for the CPS students.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the prevalence of physician-verified asthma and food allergy in CPS. Explain the geographic distribution of pediatric asthma and food allergy in Chicago. Discuss how and why understanding the geographic and demographic distribution of chronic disease is instrumental to creating effective, targeted interventions.

Keyword(s): Asthma, School-Based Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a public health professional who has worked on epidemiology, data analysis, GIS mapping, and community health in Chicago, the content of this poster presentation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2060.0: Chronic Disease Epidemiology Poster Session 2