BMC pulmonary medicine
-
BMC pulmonary medicine · May 2009
The Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) birth cohort study: design, methods, and study population.
The incidence and morbidity of wheezing illnesses and childhood asthma is especially high in poor urban areas. This paper describes the study design, methods, and population of the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study, which was established to investigate the immunologic causes of asthma among inner-city children. ⋯ The overall goal of the URECA study is to develop a better understanding of how specific urban exposures affect immune development to promote wheezing illnesses and asthma.