Breathtaking: asthma and the social determinants of health

Darcell Harrison never knew how serious asthma could be until his teens, when his cousin, unable to breathe, frightened the whole family with repeated trips to the emergency room.With a little research, he discovered that asthma is not only a leading factor in hospitalization of children, but that minority children are disproportionately affected - by a lot. Black and Puerto Rican children are six times more likely to die from an asthma attack than white children. In trying to understand this, Harrison found out about the social determinants of health - the concept that the circumstances under which people are born, raised, and live affect our health significantly. "Communities and neighborhoods with less money are more likely to be exposed to environmental pollutants like industrial waste, and young people who live in these communities and neighborhoods are more likely to be exposed to indoor and outdoor pollution like dust, cigarette smoke or automobile exhaust. All these things can trigger an asthma attack." Read the full story on Youth Radio.