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. 2023 Nov;2(4):1-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100143.

Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community

Andrew F Beck  1 , Larry Wymer  2 , Eugene Pinzer  3 , Warren Friedman  3 , Peter J Ashley  3 , Stephen Vesper  2
Affiliations

Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community

Andrew F Beck et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Despite improvements in asthma symptom management and asthma morbidity, the prevalence of asthma in the United States remains high, especially in underresourced communities.

Objective: Our goal was to determine whether housing renovations affect the prevalence of asthma in an underresourced community.

Methods: The Fay Apartments (~800 units) in Cincinnati, Ohio, were renovated to "green building" standards between 2010 and 2012 and renamed the Villages at Roll Hill. The prevalence of asthma among 7-year-olds in the Villages at Roll Hill was determined by accessing Ohio Medicaid data for the years 2013 to 2021.

Results: In the first 6 years after the renovations (2013-2018), the prevalence of asthma among 7-year-olds in the community averaged 12.7%. In contrast, in postrenovation years 7 through 9 (2019-2021), the average prevalence of asthma was 5.9%. Logistic regression modeling for the log odds of asthma diagnosis in this age group was used to test the statistical significance of asthma prevalence for 2013-2018 versus for 2019-2021. The model resulted in demonstration of a significant (P < .001) reduction in asthma prevalence between 2013-2018 and 2019-2021.

Conclusions: The renovation of an underresourced community's housing resulted in a lower prevalence of asthma for 7-year-olds who were born after the renovations had been completed.

Keywords: African American; Black; asthma; green building; infants.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Any mention of trade names, products, or services does not imply an endorsement by the US government or the EPA. The EPA does not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of the EPA or US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Prevalence of childhood (at age 7) asthma in the Villages at Roll Hill in each year after the renovations were completed, based-on Ohio Medicaid data. Black lines are the averages for 2013-2018 and 2019-2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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