Violence, abuse, and asthma in Puerto Rican children.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Puerto Ricans have the highest prevalence of and morbidity from asthma of all ethnic groups in the United States. One potential contributor to the high burden of asthma in Puerto Rican children is exposure to stress and violence.

Objectives

To examine whether exposure to stress and violence is associated with an increased risk of asthma among Puerto Rican children.

Methods

This study was a population-based probability sample of children in the San Juan and Caguas metropolitan areas in Puerto Rico. Information was collected in a household survey of 1,213 children and their primary caretakers.

Measurements and main results

The prevalence of lifetime physician-diagnosed asthma was 39.6%. In the year before the survey, 14% of children had witnessed an act

SUBMITTER: Cohen RT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2542427 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature