Language Barriers Worsen Asthma Care and Outcomes

English second language (ESL) Hispanic patients face significant barriers to adequate care, worsening health outcomes. Research presented at this year’s American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology meeting shows these health disparities are present for Hispanic people with Asthma, especially those who speak Spanish primarily.

According to Pearl Steinzor, “Of a total of 1847 patients, Hispanic Spanish speakers were more likely to have an emergency asthma-related visit in the past 12 months (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.02-3.1), sleep disturbances (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.11-3.87), and to have missed work due to their symptoms (AOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.1-3.24), compared with White patients.”

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(Source: AJMC, March 12^th, 2023)