The Relationship Between Children’s Social Environment and Susceptibility to Asthma

            More than 25 million people in the United States have the chronic lung disease asthma; this number increased by 4.3 million between the years 2001 and 2009 and what is most concerning is that 1 in 10 children suffer (AAAAI.org). A child’s susceptibility to asthma is caused by the correlation between genetics and the environment; however, it is the social environment that causes an increase in the prevalence of childhood asthma. Environmental justice is the fair treatment of people concerning environmental policies and regulations regardless of race and socioeconomic status. The environmental justice movement raises awareness of the unfair health and social consequences of living in an environment with uneven risks and hazards. For example, poor urban areas are more likely to have high concentrations of pollution putting children’s health at risk. These children are more likely to be exposed to a range of harmful triggers, including environmental factors (air pollution, mold), psychological, and psychosocial factors (stress or depression, causing the release of histamine and leukotriene, narrowing the airways). A sociological analysis can help explain why families living in impoverished areas are being actively harmed by outdoor (air pollution) and indoor (poor housing conditions) environmental factors that cause susceptibility to asthma. With proper asthma medication, including long-term preventative treatments (long-acting beta-agonists) and quick acting medication (short-acting beta-agonists, bronchodilators), children can manage, and even prevent, their symptoms. Yet, poor children lack access to preventive care and curative treatment. It is essential that clinics and hospitals are easily accessible to poor children in order to diagnose, prevent, and treat their symptoms with affordable medication. The environmental justice movement should continue to examine policies to address racism and classism. This chronic disease can be fatal if ignored; increased medical attention is vital for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status and social environment.