Asthma is a condition defined by the swelling and constriction of airway passages as a result of a triggering stimulus. There is no cure for this disease, however proper medication and management techniques can reduce the severity of asthmatic attacks. Asthmatic prevalence in the United States is estimated at 8.8% for women, and 5.8% for men.
Many asthmatic triggers are poorly understood, and their effects on the population vary regionally. This research focuses on analyzing the seasonal effects of minority populations, youth populations, median household income, dewpoint, precipitation, and fine particulate matter on asthmatic hospital admissions in Mississippi urban counties from 2003-2005. Geographically Weighted Regression was employed to study the relative influence of each independent variable at the local level.
Each of the selected independent variables was shown to be statistically significantly related to asthmatic hospital admissions in at least one season, except for median household income. The effects of each variable differed depending on season and location, although a few notable trends are observed.
Minority population percentages were associated with increased hospital admissions across the state excepting western Mississippi in every season. Youth population’s relationships with asthma were strongly positively related in the central region of the state. Higher median household income was generally associated with increased admissions in the central and northern regions.
Higher dewpoints had a tendency to reduce admissions in every season except spring. Precipitation had very little association with asthma in all seasons. Lastly, fine particulate matter was largely negatively related to admissions in all seasons excepting spring.