According to a the The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology a number of community factors may affect how common asthma is in your community. The authors looked at how social capital, economic potential, and community amenities were related to asthma in 287 different neighborhoods.
Communities with low childhood asthma rates had:
- More oppurtunities for economic development
- Increased ethnic and social diversity
- Greater rates of civic involvement
- More restaurants and cultural and entertainment facilities
Surprisingly, there was no relationship with the presence of hospitals and clinics and asthma. Communities with higher childhood asthma rates were noted to have high rates of community involvement and more community institutions, which was thought to potentially indicate the influence of poverty manifesting as increased asthma due to increased exposure to indoor pollutants. Communities with higher childhood asthma rates were also noted to be more stable. The authors hypothesize that because there is less chance a person will move into or out of a community, a person will be exposed to more indoor air pollutants that may trigger asthma.
While the study suggests a relationship between community factors and childhood asthma, further study is needed to examine what the exact protective factors are and how these factors might be used to decrease asthma in communities.
