Substantial research has documented pervasive disparities in the
prevalence, severity, and morbidity of asthma among minority
populations compared to non-Latino whites. The underlying causes
of these disparities are not well understood, and as a result,
the leverage points to address them remain unclear. A multilevel
framework for integrating research in asthma health disparities
is proposed in order to advance both future research and
clinical practice. The components of the proposed model include
health care policies and regulations, operation of the health
care system, provider/clinician-level factors,
social/environmental factors, and individual/family attitudes
and behaviors. The body of research suggests that asthma
disparities have multiple, complex and inter-related sources.
Disparities occur when individual, environmental, health system,
and provider factors interact with one another over time. Given
that the causes of asthma disparities are complex and
multilevel, clinical strategies to address thes