Assessing The Relationship Between Sociodemographic Variables And Adult Asthma Rates At The County Regional-Division Level In The Contiguous United States

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in the world, affecting over 260 million people worldwide (Fuchs, 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 25 million Americans have asthma, equating to eight percent of the adult population and seven percent of the child population (CDC, 2020). While many studies have examined the association between childhood asthma and sociodemographic risk factors, a limited number of studies have strictly focused on adult asthma.This study aims to understand some of the spatial determinants of adult asthma by assessing the relationship between sociodemographic variables and adult asthma rates at the county regional-division level in the contiguous United States. Findings revealed that the percentage of impoverished adults was the most significant indicator of adult asthma, with p-values less than 0.01. Additionally, the minority and educational attainment variables were significant indicators of adult asthma in five of the nine regions. Future research should incorporate additional asthma risk factors, such as genetic and environmental predispositions, to more comprehensively examine risk factors associated with adult asthma. Results from this study highlight locations where public health interventions can be explored that aim to mitigate the unequal burden of adult asthma.