Racial/Ethnic Differences in Asthma Prevalence: The Role of Housing and Neighborhood Environments

Emily Rosenbaum, Fordham University

The focus of this paper is on evaluating the potential role played by housing and neighborhood conditions in moderating racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of asthma among New York City households with children. The prevalence of asthma bears a direct relationship to housing quality, in that many asthma triggers--including dust mites, pet dander, cockroach and mice feces, and mold--are found in the home, and particularly in substandard housing, while others triggers are found in higher quantities in poor inner-city neighborhoods. Given that blacks and Hispanics inhabit lower-quality housing and neighborhoods than do whites or Asians, these differences may help to explain the higher prevalence of asthma among blacks and Hispanics. The analysis relies on data from the 2002 panel of the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey, supplemented by contextual variables on neighborhood conditions.