Asthma Prevalence Higher for Mexican Americans

US-born Mexican Americans are at least twice as likely to develop asthma,compared with individuals born in Mexico, according to findings reportedin the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (January15, 2005). For the study, researchers from the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention examined data from >17,000 Mexican Americanswho participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition ExaminationSurvey (NHANES III) or the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

The findings from both surveys indicated that the rate of asthma amongMexican Americans born in the United States was about 7.5%, comparedwith 2.7% of Mexican-born peers. Further investigation showed that USorigin doubled the risk of asthma in NHANES III and tripled the risk in NHIS,compared with Mexican origin. The researchers also discovered that therate of asthma among Mexican-born participants increased in step with thelength of time they resided in the United States.