What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article? “Federal health officials recently issued a gloomy report noting that the percentage of Americans suffering from asthma reached a record high of 8.4 percent in 2010, up from 7.3 percent in 2001.”
“ New York City recently had a two-week crackdown at elementary schools in neighborhoods with high rates of asthma to stop vehicles from violating a little-known law that limits idling in school zones to one minute. New York City should keep up enforcement, and other cities should follow.”
“The death rate from asthma has been declining for a number of years. But the disease remains a significant health and economic burden…”
What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported? The main point of the article is that asthma is something that is very prominent in NYC adults and children. This is supported by the “estimated 25.7 million people had asthma in 2010, including 18.7 million adults and seven million children below the age of 18.”
The article also stressed the influence of government officials in the asthma crisis, the importance of there being programs for asthmatics to receive the care and education they need, as well as for NYC to strictly enforce the law that limits idling of vehicles in school zones to one minute.
What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.) Children and adults with asthma: Article discussed the “estimated 25.7 million people had asthma in 2010, including 18.7 million adults and seven million children below the age of 18.”
Federal Government: article talks about the programs that have been financed by the federal government to help with the asthma crisis.
What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article? The article implies that there is a lot of responsibility in the federal government’s hands, as well as in New York City Officials. For example, when discussing the law that limits idling in school zones to one minute, the article talks about how NYC conducted a 2 week crackdown at elementary schools in neighborhoods with high levels of asthma; this is something that should be enforced at all times by NYC, but instead, it was only conducted for 2 weeks. Therefore, this implies that there is responsibility in the hands of NYC, but they are not doing all that they can. If NYC kept up enforcement with this, other cities could potentially follow them.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report? An equity issue discussed is the two-week crackdown that was conducted in the elementary schools in neighborhoods with high rates of asthma, and the remark made in the article about how NYC does not keep up enforcement on this law. There is a potential equity issue if one considers the fact that the asthmatics discussed in the article are most likely poor, since most areas where there are high rates of asthma are areas of socioeconomic disadvantages; if this is the case, it could be said that NYC is neglecting to properly enforce the idling in school zones law because the population of people at a socioeconomic disadvantage are seen as less important.
What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article? I followed up on what programs are held by the federal government for the care and education of asthmatics, what hospital systems have created a program to monitor asthmatics, and why NYC doesn’t do more to enforce the law limiting idling in school zones to one minute.
Samrin Ali
Full citation and link
The Opinion Pages, “Asthma by the Numbers,” The New York Times, June 4th, 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/opinion/asthma-by-the-numbers.html
What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
“Federal health officials recently issued a gloomy report noting that the percentage of Americans suffering from asthma reached a record high of 8.4 percent in 2010, up from 7.3 percent in 2001.”
“ New York City recently had a two-week crackdown at elementary schools in neighborhoods with high rates of asthma to stop vehicles from violating a little-known law that limits idling in school zones to one minute. New York City should keep up enforcement, and other cities should follow.”
“The death rate from asthma has been declining for a number of years. But the disease remains a significant health and economic burden…”
What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
The main point of the article is that asthma is something that is very prominent in NYC adults and children. This is supported by the “estimated 25.7 million people had asthma in 2010, including 18.7 million adults and seven million children below the age of 18.”
The article also stressed the influence of government officials in the asthma crisis, the importance of there being programs for asthmatics to receive the care and education they need, as well as for NYC to strictly enforce the law that limits idling of vehicles in school zones to one minute.
What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Children and adults with asthma: Article discussed the “estimated 25.7 million people had asthma in 2010, including 18.7 million adults and seven million children below the age of 18.”
Federal Government: article talks about the programs that have been financed by the federal government to help with the asthma crisis.
What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
The article implies that there is a lot of responsibility in the federal government’s hands, as well as in New York City Officials. For example, when discussing the law that limits idling in school zones to one minute, the article talks about how NYC conducted a 2 week crackdown at elementary schools in neighborhoods with high levels of asthma; this is something that should be enforced at all times by NYC, but instead, it was only conducted for 2 weeks. Therefore, this implies that there is responsibility in the hands of NYC, but they are not doing all that they can. If NYC kept up enforcement with this, other cities could potentially follow them.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
An equity issue discussed is the two-week crackdown that was conducted in the elementary schools in neighborhoods with high rates of asthma, and the remark made in the article about how NYC does not keep up enforcement on this law. There is a potential equity issue if one considers the fact that the asthmatics discussed in the article are most likely poor, since most areas where there are high rates of asthma are areas of socioeconomic disadvantages; if this is the case, it could be said that NYC is neglecting to properly enforce the idling in school zones law because the population of people at a socioeconomic disadvantage are seen as less important.
What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
I followed up on what programs are held by the federal government for the care and education of asthmatics, what hospital systems have created a program to monitor asthmatics, and why NYC doesn’t do more to enforce the law limiting idling in school zones to one minute.