142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

309753
Childhood Asthma, Healthcare Access, and the Urban Neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Kelly Harris, MA , Department of Education, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Asthma is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease and disproportionately affects minority children in poverty. While several studies have examined the relationship between asthma prevalence and urban locality, continued examination of the relationship between the built environment and asthma are needed.  St. Louis’ high asthma rates, position in the Rust Belt, and continued suburbanization and concentration of poverty near the urban core, make it worthy of analysis.  Using data from sources including the Missouri Information Community Assessment, the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Geographic Information Systems was used to determine asthma prevalence across 30 zip codes in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.  Hotspot analysis was used to identify asthma “hotspots” and determine spatial associations between high asthma rates, socio-demographic and neighborhood characteristics (i.e., race, income, crime, public housing, and deteriorating housing), and access to healthcare resources (i.e., physicians and asthma medication). Results revealed a “hotspot” of high asthma rates in north St. Louis city and, in contrast, a “hotspot” for low asthma rates in south St. Louis city.  Socio-demographic and neighborhood characteristics of high asthma “hotspots” differed from those areas of low asthma prevalence.  Areas of high asthma had largely minority populations living in or near poverty and had greater concentrations of public housing, deteriorating housing, and violence.  Moreover, physical access to healthcare resources was limited in high asthma areas.  Implications include expansion of access to healthcare resources and consideration of neighborhoods when addressing asthma disparities in urban areas.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe neighborhood characteristics frequently associated with areas of high asthma prevalence in urban neighborhoods. Explain the spatial associations between social characteristics, neighborhood characteristics and asthma prevalence in urban environments. Explain the differential physical access to healthcare in urban neighborhoods.

Keyword(s): Asthma, Health Disparities/Inequities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Throughout the course of my doctoral studies I have participated in an conducted both reviews of the research and studies regarding asthma and urban environments. The nexus of chronic health conditions such as asthma, the built environment, and the related impacts in educational achievement are among my research interests.
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.