This brief examines how the social, economic, and physical environments of Latino immigrant communities affect health and contribute to health disparities. This includes the process of acculturation and assimilation to U.S. culture, which is known to have negative health effects for some immigrants. Our focus, in this brief, is on Latino immigrants, because Latinos are the largest immigrant group and they are the fastest growing ethnic population.

This brief discusses the community conditions that can trigger an asthma attack, and demonstrates ways that communities across the country are working to reduce those triggers. It provides policy options that local, state, and federal policymakers can pursue to improve community environments, based on evidence about factors that can make a difference. It also highlights promising practices that have worked well in communities and successful strategies used by community advocates and policymakers, such as community education and mobilization efforts.