Unraveling the ecology of risks for early childhood asthma among ethnically diverse families in the southwest

Objectives. We describe the prevalence of asthma risk factors within racial/ethnic and language groups of infants participating in an intervention study for reducing chronic asthma. Methods. Low-income children aged 9 to 24 months with 3 or more episodes of wheezing illness were enrolled. Baseline information included family and medical histories, allergic status, environmental exposures, emotional environment, and caregiver psychosocial resources. Results. Racial/ethnic and language groups—European Americans, African Americans, high-acculturated Hispanics, and low-acculturated Hispanics—showed different patterns of risk factors for childhood asthma, with low-acculturated Hispanics showing the most distinctive pattern. Conclusions. Patterns of covariation of biological and psychosocial risk factors for childhood asthma were associated with racial/ethnic and language status among urban, low-income children.