Chronic poverty and childhood asthma in the Maritimes versus the rest of Canada.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of higher long-term poverty rates in the Maritimes as an explanation for higher rates of asthma among children 2-7 years of age.

METHODS

Using longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), logistic regressions examine associations between poverty duration and the probability of a child having been diagnosed with asthma, having a current asthma attack or experiencing wheezing in the past 12 months, controlling for other known determinants.

RESULTS

NLSCY data indicate that 15.9% of Maritime children have been diagnosed with asthma, 8.7% have recently had an attack and 24.1% experienced wheezing, statistically higher levels than in the rest of Canada. Children in chronic poverty show rates that are over 30% higher than the Canadian averages. Although 19.9% of Maritime children have been chronically poor compared to 11.7% elsewhere, and although poverty is associated with a higher probability of asthma/wheezing, controlling for poverty status does not eliminate the regional difference in asthma rates. Including other controls with poverty status again does not fully explain the difference.

CONCLUSION

While these findings do not completely explain why asthma prevalence rates are higher for Maritime children, they do indicate important pathways from poverty to childhood asthma. For example, chronically poor children are more likely to have had low birthweights and are less likely to have been breastfed, both of which are correlates of asthma. Such information can be useful for policy-makers. Pollutants and other environmental factors associated with asthma not included in the study may help further explain regional differences.