The associations between area of residence, sexual violence victimization, and asthma episodes among US adult women in 14 states and territories, 2005-2007

Health Inequities among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in North Carolina, 2011-2014

Inequalities in health have been identified for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations nationally. Policies in the U.S. South offer fewer protections for LGB people than in other regions, yet, limited data exist for this region. North Carolina (NC) BRFSS data from 2011 to 2014 were combined (LGB n = 604; heterosexual n = 33,170) and analyzed using SAS survey procedures to estimate health characteristics by sexual orientation within gender. Many examined indicators were not different by sexual orientation, however, other results were significant and consistent with findings from state population surveys in other regions of the country. Both genders showed inequities in mental health, having over twice the odds of five or more poor mental health days in the past month and of having ever been diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Sexual minority women had higher odds compared with heterosexual women for ever having smoked cigarettes, current smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke both in the workplace and at home, and both alcohol risk factors, binge and heavy drinking. Being part of the LGB population in NC is associated with worse health. The implementation of anti-LGB policies in the NC warrants ongoing monitoring of LGB health inequities in NC and in other southeastern states for potential effects on the health and well-being of sexual minorities.

Perceived neighborhood safety and asthma morbidity in the school inner-city asthma study

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate whether neighborhood safety as perceived by primary caregivers is associated with asthma morbidity outcomes among inner-city school children with asthma.

METHODS

School children with asthma were recruited from 25 inner-city schools between 2009 and 2012 for the School Inner-City Asthma Study (N = 219). Primary caregivers completed a baseline questionnaire detailing their perception of neighborhood safety and their children's asthma symptoms, and the children performed baseline pulmonary function tests. In this cross-sectional analysis, asthma control was compared between children whose caregivers perceived their neighborhood to be unsafe versus safe.

RESULTS

After adjusting for potential confounders, those children whose primary caregivers perceived the neighborhood to be unsafe had twice the odds of having poorly controlled asthma (odds ratio [OR] adjusted = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-3.9, P = 0.009), four times the odds of dyspnea and rescue medication use (OR adjusted = 4.7; 95% CI = 1.7-13.0, P = 0.003, OR adjusted = 4.0; 95% CI = 1.8-8.8, P < 0.001, respectively), three times as much limitation in activity (OR adjusted = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.4-7.7, P = 0.008), and more than twice the odds of night-time symptoms (OR adjusted = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.3-4.0, P = 0.007) compared to participants living in safe neighborhoods. There was no difference in pulmonary function test results between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary caregivers' perception of neighborhood safety is associated with childhood asthma morbidity among inner-city school children with asthma. Further study is needed to elucidate mechanisms behind this association, and future intervention studies to address social disadvantage may be important.

Asthma disparities and within-group differences in a national, probability sample of same-sex partnered adults

OBJECTIVES

We examined the prevalence and correlates of self-reported lifetime diagnosis of asthma and current asthma among same-sex and opposite-sex partnered adults.

METHODS

Data were from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in which same-sex partnership was a response option to a family planning item in the core questionnaire. Self-reported lifetime diagnosis of asthma and current asthma were examined in logistic regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics and asthma-related confounding factors and stratified by both gender and same-sex partnership status.

RESULTS

Significantly higher proportions of same-sex partnered male and female respondents reported lifetime and current asthma compared with their opposite-sex partnered peers. In adjusted analyses, same-sex partnership status remained significantly associated with asthma outcomes among men and women, with odds ratios ranging from 1.57 to 2.34.

CONCLUSIONS

Results corroborated past studies that indicated asthma disproportionately affects sexual minority populations. The addition of sexual minority status questions to federal survey projects is key to further exploring health disparities in this population. Future studies are needed to investigate the etiology of this disparity.

Exposure to community violence is associated with asthma hospitalizations and emergency department visits

BACKGROUND

Exposure to community violence (ECV) has been associated with asthma morbidity of children living in inner-city neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE

To examine with prospective longitudinal data whether ECV is independently associated with asthma-related health outcomes in adults.

METHODS

Adults with moderate-severe asthma, recruited from clinics serving inner-city neighborhoods, completed questionnaires covering sociodemographics, asthma severity, and ECV and were followed for 26 weeks. Longitudinal models were used to assess unadjusted and adjusted associations of subsequent asthma outcomes (emergency department [ED] visits, hospitalizations, FEV(1), quality of life).

RESULTS

A total of 397 adults, 47 +/- 14 years old, 73% women, 70% African American, 7% Latino, mean FEV(1) 66% +/- 19%, 133 with hospitalizations and 222 with ED visits for asthma in the year before entry, were evaluated. Ninety-one reported ECV. Controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and household income, those exposed to violence had 2.27 (95% CI, 1.32-3.90) times more asthma-related ED visits per month and 2.49 (95% CI, 1.11-5.60) times more asthma-related hospitalizations per month over the 26-week study period compared with those unexposed. Violence-exposed participants also had 1.71 (95% CI, 1.14-2.56) times more overall ED visits per month and 1.72 (95% CI, 0.95-3.11) times more overall hospitalizations per month from any cause. Asthma-related quality of life was lower in the violence-exposed participants (-0.40; 95% CI, -0.77 to -0.025; P = .04). Effect modification by depressive symptoms was only statistically significant for the ECV association with overall ED visits and quality-of-life outcomes (P < .01).

CONCLUSION

In adults, ECV is associated with increased asthma hospitalizations and emergency care for asthma or any condition and with asthma-related quality of life.