According to research presented at the ATS 2023 International Conference, the neighborhood is a better predictor of whether they would experience exacerbations (asthma attacks) than their familys income or their parents educational level. 

The Childhood Opportunity Index (COI) 2.0 was utilized by the researchers, which covers 29 parameters related to child development across three domains: education, health/environment, and social/economic. Higher scores indicate greater potential.

The study included 193 asthmatic children aged 8 to 17 from the Denver region participating in an observational study at a tertiary care facility. They investigated neighborhood and individual socioeconomic factors of asthma exacerbation history using two statistical models. Asthma status was divided into two categories: asthma-null (no exacerbations in the preceding five years) and exacerbation-prone (one or more exacerbations in the previous year).

It was observed that with a 20-point fall in total neighborhood-level COI, the chances of children being categorized as exacerbation-prone increased by 40%. A $5,000 fall in home income increased the likelihood of aggravation by 10%, whereas parental education did not affect the result. 

The findings imply that rather than focusing just on individual-level interventions, the enormous cost imposed by frequent asthma exacerbations might be mitigated by targeted community initiatives.

(Source:https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230523/Lower-neighborhood-level-opportunity-linked-to-increased-risk-of-exacerbation-prone-asthma-in-children.aspx)