WS Beckett, K Belanger, JF Gent, TR Holford and BP Leaderer
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

For a study of childhood asthma we interviewed 9,276 mothers during 1993-1994, ascertaining whether they had asthmatic children younger than 18 yr of age and asking about genetic and environmental risk factors for asthma. Independent risk factors for asthma in 7,776 children were: Hispanic and African American ethnicity, maternal history of asthma, lower socioeconomic status (SES) of the mother, and the presence of a cigarette smoker in the household. Hispanic ethnicity was also a strong risk factor for asthma in the mother. The prevalence of asthma among children of Hispanic (mainly Puerto Rican) mothers with one or more children older than 9 mo of age was 18.4%, for blacks it was 1 1.3%, and for non-Hispanic whites it was 7.4%. The marked increased risk for asthma in children of Hispanic mothers was not explained by SES or maternal age. In addition, increased risk for asthma in these children was not associated with higher reporting of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. In this study of asthma in primarily Puerto Rican Hispanics, the risk of physician-diagnosed asthma as reported by mothers was significantly associated with Hispanic ethnicity, and it was not confounded by SES or active smoking in the home.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. V. Scirica and J. C. Celedon Genetics of Asthma: Potential Implications for Reducing Asthma Disparities Chest, November 1, 2007; 132(5_suppl): 770S - 781S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Choudhry, M. A. Seibold, L. N. Borrell, H. Tang, D. Serebrisky, R. Chapela, J. R. Rodriguez-Santana, P. C. Avila, E. Ziv, W. Rodriguez-Cintron, et al. Dissecting Complex Diseases in Complex Populations: Asthma in Latino Americans Proceedings of the ATS, July 1, 2007; 4(3): 226 - 233. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Choudhry, E. G. Burchard, L. N. Borrell, H. Tang, I. Gomez, M. Naqvi, S. Nazario, A. Torres, J. Casal, J. C. Martinez-Cruzado, et al. Ancestry-Environment Interactions and Asthma Risk among Puerto Ricans Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., November 15, 2006; 174(10): 1088 - 1093. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Feldman, A. N. Ortega, E. L. McQuaid, and G. Canino Comorbidity Between Asthma Attacks and Internalizing Disorders AmongPuerto Rican Children at One-Year Follow-Up Psychosomatics, August 1, 2006; 47(4): 333 - 339. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Davis, R. Kreutzer, M. Lipsett, G. King, and N. Shaikh Asthma Prevalence in Hispanic and Asian American Ethnic Subgroups: Results From the California Healthy Kids Survey Pediatrics, August 1, 2006; 118(2): e363 - e370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Rose, D. M. Mannino, and B. P. Leaderer Asthma Prevalence Among US Adults, 1998-2000: Role of Puerto Rican Ethnicity and Behavioral and Geographic Factors Am J Public Health, May 1, 2006; 96(5): 880 - 888. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. M. Hunninghake, S. T. Weiss, and J. C. Celedon Asthma in Hispanics Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 15, 2006; 173(2): 143 - 163. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Lara, L. Akinbami, G. Flores, and H. Morgenstern Heterogeneity of Childhood Asthma Among Hispanic Children: Puerto Rican Children Bear a Disproportionate Burden Pediatrics, January 1, 2006; 117(1): 43 - 53. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. S. Higgins, D. Wakefield, and M. M. Cloutier Risk Factors for Asthma and Asthma Severity in Nonurban Children in Connecticut Chest, December 1, 2005; 128(6): 3846 - 3853. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Ruigomez, L. A. G. Rodriguez, M.-A. Wallander, S. Johansson, M. Thomas, and D. Price Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Asthma: A Longitudinal Study in UK General Practice Chest, July 1, 2005; 128(1): 85 - 93. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. J. Akinbami, J. C. Rhodes, and M. Lara Racial and Ethnic Differences in Asthma Diagnosis Among Children Who Wheeze Pediatrics, May 1, 2005; 115(5): 1254 - 1260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. N. Ortega, E. L. McQuaid, G. Canino, R. D. Goodwin, and G. K. Fritz Comorbidity of Asthma and Anxiety and Depression in Puerto Rican Children Psychosomatics, April 1, 2004; 45(2): 93 - 99. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. G. Burchard, P. C. Avila, S. Nazario, J. Casal, A. Torres, J. R. Rodriguez-Santana, M. Toscano, J. S. Sylvia, M. Alioto, M. Salazar, et al. Lower Bronchodilator Responsiveness in Puerto Rican than in Mexican Subjects with Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 1, 2004; 169(3): 386 - 392. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. C. Celedon, D. Sredl, S. T. Weiss, M. Pisarski, D. Wakefield, and M. Cloutier Ethnicity and Skin Test Reactivity to Aeroallergens Among Asthmatic Children in Connecticut Chest, January 1, 2004; 125(1): 85 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Lind, S. Choudhry, N. Ung, E. Ziv, P. C. Avila, K. Salari, C. Ha, E. G. Lovins, N. E. Coyle, S. Nazario, et al. ADAM33 Is Not Associated with Asthma in Puerto Rican or Mexican Populations Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., December 1, 2003; 168(11): 1312 - 1316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. D. Boudreaux, S. D. Emond, S. Clark, and C. A. Camargo Jr Acute Asthma Among Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department: The Role of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status Chest, September 1, 2003; 124(3): 803 - 812. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. D. Boudreaux, S. D. Emond, S. Clark, and C. A. Camargo Jr Race/Ethnicity and Asthma Among Children Presenting to the Emergency Department: Differences in Disease Severity and Management Pediatrics, May 1, 2003; 111(5): e615 - 621. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. B. Bracken, K. Belanger, W. O. Cookson, E. Triche, D. C. Christiani, and B. P. Leaderer Genetic and Perinatal Risk Factors for Asthma Onset and Severity: A Review and Theoretical Analysis Epidemiol. Rev., December 1, 2002; 24(2): 176 - 189. [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Zheng, S. Niu, B. Lu, X.'e Fan, F. Sun, J. Wang, Y. Zhang, B. Zhang, P. Owens, L. Hao, et al. Childhood Asthma in Beijing, China: A Population-based Case-Control Study Am. J. Epidemiol., November 15, 2002; 156(10): 977 - 983. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. E. Varner The Increase in Allergic Respiratory Diseases : Survival of the Fittest? Chest, April 1, 2002; 121(4): 1308 - 1316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Rodriguez, M. A. Winkleby, D. Ahn, J. Sundquist, and H. C. Kraemer Identification of Population Subgroups of Children and Adolescents With High Asthma Prevalence: Findings From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, March 1, 2002; 156(3): 269 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. S. BECKETT, D. R. JACOBS JR., X. YU, C. IRIBARREN, and O. D. WILLIAMS Asthma Is Associated with Weight Gain in Females but Not Males, Independent of Physical Activity Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., December 1, 2001; 164(11): 2045 - 2050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Witorsch and P. Witorsch Review : Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Respiratory Health in Children: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Literature from 1969 to 19981 Indoor and Built Environment, September 1, 2000; 9(5): 246 - 264. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. Diaz, T. Sturm, T. Matte, M. Bindra, K. Lawler, S. Findley, and C. Maylahn Medication Use Among Children With Asthma in East Harlem Pediatrics, June 1, 2000; 105(6): 1188 - 1193. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D. M. HOMA, D. M. MANNINO, and M. LARA Asthma Mortality in U.S. Hispanics of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban Heritage, 1990-1995 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 1, 2000; 161(2): 504 - 509. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. D. Thomas and S. Whitman Asthma Hospitalizations and Mortality in Chicago: An Epidemiologic Overview Chest, October 1, 1999; 116(suppl_2): 135S - 141S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]