This essay examines six articles that have been released and discuss asthma in racial minorities. However, the conclusions of these earlier studies have varied. As a result, the current study will use the findings of these earlier studies as a baseline. Primary and secondary sources will both be used in the study. Whereas for secondary sources, we'll use Google search engines and previously conducted research, while for primary sources, we'll use open-ended surveys and emails.
Research Proposal of Asthma among Minorities
Introduction
Asthma is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and narrows the breathing pathways in an individual. In this case, Baltimore has one of the worst health conditions in the state. Statistics show that Baltimore has 19% of its population suffering from asthma-related diseases compared to 14% of the national population suffering from the disease. Health officials in this region have attributed this to the 62% of the black population that resides in this region. There are also claims that the health conditions of the region are attributed to the poor status of the residents. In addition, various researchers conducted on this matter have revealed that the conditions are caused by various issues in the region.
The escalating case of asthma in the region requires keen and maximum attention on the issue from various stakeholders.
Despite the region being perceived by the minorities the middle class of African-American descent has not been spared by this condition. Therefore, there is urgency to look at the region as a whole not as a region of the minorities and the poor population of Baltimore. As such, this research is going to consider all groups of people from the poor African-American population to the middle-class Negroes and to the few rich occupants or neighbors of this region.
The research seeks to find the answers to the problems that have been causing devastating effects to the majority of the population. Besides that, it will also seek to unravel if the living conditions in this region play a role in the current health status of the population. As such, this research shall use the previously conducted researches as a way of finding more data on what was studied, implemented and the success of the implementation of the health status of the Baltimore population.
Literature Review
Numerous studies have been conducted on the asthmatic conditions of the minorities in Baltimore. As such, there has been documentation of these cases by various scholars. However, most researchers conducted have been driven on finding the root cause of the condition in the region; there has been less documentation on the significance of health professionals and the general public.
Hussein et al. (2014) through his report illustrated how they worked with the communities in Maryland to achieve quality health living in the five Health Enterprise Zones, (HEZ). This initiative was taken after these medical experts had identified the inequality in the health status of the community, and thus saw it better to bridge the gap in the communities. The study targeted the less privileged and the poor in the region. Hussein et al (2014) aimed at improving the health status of this group of people in the society, by researching on the root causes of their health problems and later find the amicable solutions within their jurisdiction as medical experts.
In addition to that, Pino-Yanes et al. (2015) in their journal "Genetic ancestry influences asthma susceptibility and lung function among Latinos", studied on the ancestry and genes as the cause of the prevalent cases of asthma in the region. Their study revealed that childhood asthma prevalence varied with regions, with Porto Ricans being the highly susceptible to asthma while Mexican populations had the lowest cases. Besides that, this study gained the support of the National Institute of health that reported the blacks had a high susceptibility to asthmatic and lung infections as compared to their white counterparts Pino-Yanes et al. (2015). The study revealed that the black population apart from the children obtaining the asthmatic conditions through genetic inheritance they also had early life exposure to air pollution, and social economic status in which these children were born in. Therefore, this factors aided by the genetic inheritance of asthmatic traits led to the prevalence of the condition in the African-American population.
Besides that, Padula et al. (2017) in his journal "Cost-Benefit of Comprehensive Primary and Preventive School-Based Health Care" researched on the cheaper ways of providing quality medication to the students in regions inhabited by the poor communities. In addition, Padula et al. (2017) hinted that despite providing cheaper and quality medications through a school-based health facility, they still had profits running in their activities. The study emphasized on the provision of comprehensive pediatric medical care in schools that were around regions of the large proportion of the underserved population of the African-American. As such, this study was aimed at provision of cheap, quality treatment of the diseases that were prevalent in this region while in the process making their daily income.
As such, research conducted by Sedaghat et al. (2016), as recorded in their journal of allergy and immunology, related the asthmatic conditions to mouse and cockroach sensitivity in urban children. The authors found out that children in urban areas were highly susceptible to asthmatic conditions due to the presence of mouse rather than the presence of cockroaches. Besides that, they also highlighted that homes that had smokers were likely to have cases of asthmatic conditions in their young ones. In this regard, Sedaghat et al (2016) also pointed out that the primary caregivers played a major role in causing asthmatic conditions to the minors, the chances increased when such people are generally poor in matters of hygiene and were smokers. This research was thus done with the objective of finding the relationship between the mouse sensitization in relation to the rhinitis in the urban children. Besides that, the researchers also went into a mile of finding the relationship of the environment in which these children lived with the prevalence of the asthmatic conditions.
Jaffer et al. (2014) in their journal of allergy and immunology researched on the relationship between breastfeeding period and immunity of the children. They also compared the breastfeeding period between the white women and the black women. As such, this study revealed that children that had long breastfeeding period had strong immunity and were less likely to be victims of asthma during their childhood. The authors, further illustrated that those children that had less period of breastfeeding had weak immunity and were susceptible to asthmatic conditions in their childhood. Besides that, this research showed that the Negroes had the tendency of a short period of breastfeeding their children that led to low Immunity in their children and hence exposure to asthmatic conditions as compared to their white counterparts that had long periods of breastfeeding their young ones.
Thakur (2016) in his book "Pathway to disease", he studied the relationship between diseases, poverty, social adversities, and race. The author illustrated how asthmatic conditions were common among the poor class in the population. He backed up his research with the comparison of the affected parties from the white race and the black race. The study revealed that there were prevalent cases of asthmatic conditions in blacks than in whites. This was also largely attributed to the poor status of the mostly African-American population in Baltimore and the Latinos, who were also considered as minorities. Thakur (2016), further carried out the research based on the adversities of the population. This revealed that the blacks had varied adversities that made them susceptible to health issues inclusive of the asthmatic conditions that are prevalent in their population as compared to the whites. As such, this research proved that the poor status, the adversities and the race of the blacks are the major players causing asthmatic conditions.
Also, Sack and Christopher (2016) sought to analyze if there is a relationship between nature and nurture by seeking to find if genetic ancestry altered the effect of air pollution in children with asthmatic conditions. The study focused their analysis on the adolescents from the minorities who had interactions with air pollution in their area of residence. This was because the minorities tend to cluster close to each other in the unplanned form of settlement. As such, these researchers found out that the minorities were highly exposed to pollution, and it's in this pollution that genes such as polymorphisms were common and caused stress on the breathing pathways leading to asthmatic conditions. Besides that, Sack and Christopher (2016) used this analysis to determine whether the exposure to air pollution was associated with the lung infection in minorities with asthma and whether it was modified by the genetic ancestry. As such, the study revealed there was no connection between the genetic ancestry of the minorities with lung function but there was a significant relationship between air pollution and asthma.
Additionally, Galiatsatos and Daniel (2016) illustrated in their journal of religion and health that had an initiative of promoting health and religion in the congregation through lay educators, which was a case study for two churches. These authors stated that church had a close relationship with most of the minorities. As such there was a need for the church to be provided with a lay educator. The authors acknowledge the effects played by the African-American Methodist church and Latino-Hispanic Church that used lay health educators to educate the congregation on the importance of leading significance lifestyle, places with less air pollution and avoidance of drugs and substance abuse in order to avoid cases of asthma.
Research Questions
Previous studies have shown the relationship between minorities, poverty and air pollution to asthma conditions. In addition, there have also been researches conducted on finding the causes of asthma and its amicable solution. However, less has been said about the need to have health professionals and the general public. In addition, there have not been measures put in place to get the best method of getting a healthy population. Research has shown in general that the larger African-American population of Baltimore is the worst affected population in the state, however, there is need to identify the health experts in this region and ensure that they are healthy so that when discharging their duties they don't up to being the agents of passing the diseases.
Therefore, the present study seeks to answers the questions: what project to be undertaken? What significance will the project have to the professionals and the general public? And what previous research to base on when will be carrying out this research? Besides that, the study aims to answer more specifically the methods that are to be put in place to ensure that the study is a success.
Significance of the Study
The present study aims at specifying the most eminent reasons and causes of rampant cases asthma in Baltimore town. In particular this necessary so that the health professional can move in quickly and administer the solution to the long-term suffering African-American population. Therefore, this study will give the professionals an easy time when taking care of the patients as they shall be aware of the kind of anecdote is appropriate for such cases. Besides that, the study will enable the doctors to find a possible way of preventing or minimizing future occurrences of the conditions in the region.
In addition, the study will highlight the root causes of the condition. This is likely to act as an eye-opener to the federal government to move in, and assist in matters of reduction of pollution in Baltimore town, improving living standards of the residents by providing better options such as job opportunities, improving healthcare facilities in the region and coming up with measures to reduce the inequalities experienced between the whites and the blacks in the states.
Previous Research to be Utilized
Numerous researchers and authors have documented their findings as recorded above. However, there is less information documented on the root causes of this condition and what can be done to avoid them in order to reduce cases of asthma in Baltimore. For instance, Pino-Yanes et al. (2015) in their journal "Genetic ancestry influences asthma susceptibility and lung function among Latinos", they identified genetic ancestry as the cause of asthma in the region. They also identified poverty, air pollution and ethnic adversities of the African-American population as major factors in contributing towards asthma cases in the region. However, Pino-Yanes et al (2015) did not identify the causes of poverty, the factors that led to air pollution and ethnic adversities. Therefore, this research intends to dig deeper into this areas in order to cure this long-term malady in Baltimore.
Methods
The present study will aim at establishing the real causes of the problems that lead to the asthma conditions being rampant in African-American population as observed in Baltimore. The results will help the professionals and the federal government in making decisions that may help curb down the situation. Therefore, an open-ended questionnaire shall be designed containing questions addressed to the black population of Baltimore as the main participants. The questions will address on issues related to their living standards and social status. In addition to that, emails shall also be sent to groups that shall not be able to be accessed by a questionnaire. The questionnaire shall contain the overall description of the need to carry out the research; forms of confidentiality shall also be attached to the questionnaire in order to guarantee the respondents the confidentiality of the information they shall give and it shall be purely used for research purposes and not shared to any other person.
The first question shall address the main source of income in the families. This is relevant so as to get if the family gets its source of income through formal employment that rewards handsomely or through offering casual labors in the neighborhoods. This shall also help us understand the financial status of the family. The second question address on issues of employment in both government and private sectors. This shall enable us to get to know their financial status, their level of income and understand if it's due to unemployment the cause of poverty in the region. Lastly, there shall be a question to address issues of air pollution, this shall enable us to get to understand the causes of air pollution in the region and measures that can be put in place to reduce air pollution.
Additionally, there shall be the use of secondary sources in order to gather relevant information on this area of study that was previously done. There shall be the use of systemization where large amount information found on the internet shall be sieved by use of Google Scholar and PubMed, then a criterion of getting the latest data shall be installed in order to get the latest data on this research.
1-page Brainstorm about Asthma among Minorities
The topic is aimed at examining asthma among the minorities. In this regard, Asthma is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and narrows the breathing pathways in an individual. In this case, Baltimore has one of the worst health conditions in the state. Statistics show that Baltimore has 19% of its population suffering from asthma-related diseases compared to 14% of the national population suffering from the disease. A number of researches have been done on this topic, however, more has to be unrivalled since it affects the community.
The research seeks to find the answers to the problems that have been causing devastating effects to the majority of the population. Besides that, it will also seek to unravel if the living conditions in this region play a role in the current health status of the population. As such, this research shall use the previously conducted researches as a way of finding more data on what was studied, implemented and the success of the implementation of the health status of the Baltimore population.
Numerous researchers and authors have documented their findings as per the topic of discussion. However, there is less information documented on the root causes of this condition and what can be done to avoid them in order to reduce cases of asthma in Baltimore. For instance, Pino-Yanes et al. (2015) in their journal "Genetic ancestry influences asthma susceptibility and lung function among Latinos", they identified genetic ancestry as the cause of asthma in the region.
Therefore, this study will give the professionals an easy time when taking care of the patients as they shall be aware of the kind of anecdote is appropriate for such cases. Besides that, the study will enable the doctors to find a possible way of preventing or minimizing future occurrences of the conditions in the region.
References
Galiatsatos, P., & Hale, W. D. (2016). Promoting health and wellness in congregations through lay health educators: a case study of two churches. Journal of religion and health, 55(1), 288-295.
Hussein, C. A., Luckner, M., Samson, R., Matsuoka, K., Mann, D. A., Rekhi, R., & Sharfstein, J. M. (2014). Working with communities to achieve health equity in Maryland's five health enterprise zones. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 25(1), 4-10.
Jaffee, K. F., Visness, C., O'connor, G. T., Bloomberg, G. R., Kattan, M., Wood, R. A., ... & Gern, J. E. (2014). Maternal Allergy and Asthma and Their Association With Breastfeeding In Inner-City Mothers In a Birth Cohort Study (URECA). Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 133(2), AB15.
Padula, W. V., Connor, K. A., Mueller, J. M., Hong, J. C., Velazquez, G. C., & Johnson, S. B. (2017). Cost Benefit of Comprehensive Primary and Preventive School-Based Health Care. American journal of preventive medicine.
Pino-Yanes, M., Thakur, N., Gignoux, C. R., Galanter, J. M., Roth, L. A., Eng, C., ... & Nguyen, E. A. (2015). Genetic ancestry influences asthma susceptibility and lung function among Latinos. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 135(1), 228-235.
Sack, C. S., & Goss, C. H. (2016). Nature versus Nurture: Does Genetic Ancestry Alter the Effect of Air Pollution in Children with Asthma?.
Sedaghat, A. R., Matsui, E. C., Baxi, S. N., Bollinger, M. E., Miller, R., Perzanowski, M., & Phipatanakul, W. (2016). Mouse sensitivity is an independent risk factor for rhinitis in children with asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 4(1), 82-88.
Thakur, N. (2016). Pathways to Disease: The Biological Consequences of Social Adversity on Asthma in Minority Youth. University of California San Francisco San Francisco United States.
