For Minority Kids, No Room to Breathe

This article in The New York Times is from August 2007, but it has excellent information on childhood asthma, especially as it pertains to minority kids. According to the article, as many as one in five Puerto Rican children have asthma in the United States, and 13% of African American children have asthma:

Several factors contribute to the disparity. Socioeconomic status is certainly central, particularly in terms of environment. Children in poor inner-city communities are disproportionately exposed to both indoor and outdoor allergens — cockroaches, mice, mold, dust, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, soot — that can trigger breathing problems.