The Impact of Poverty on Asthma

The epidemiologic and economic literature continues to illuminate important associations between socioeconomic status and asthma morbidity. While asthma prevalence and morbidity remains disproportionately high among minority populations, socioeconomic status appears to explain much of the differences in rates. The economic costs of illness related to asthma and low-income populations may be linked to direct medical expenditures in hospital-based versus ambulatory-based asthma care. Problems in the financing and organization of health care for the poor may also contribute to the burden of asthma. A better understanding of the interplay between people, risk factors, and health care environments is necessary if we are to design successful health system improvements for the management of asthma in impoverished populations.