RESUMO
The school is a microenvironment well-known to host many indoor allergens and pollutants, with a strong association between school allergen exposure and childhood asthma morbidity. Despite advances in therapies, asthma continues to be one of the most common chronic conditions among children, associated with significant morbidity, health care utilization, and productivity loss. Asthma prevalence is also disproportionately high among children in minority communities. This review will focus on environmental exposures associated with asthma morbidity (cockroach, mouse, cat and dog, dust mite, fungus, air pollution). This review will also discuss recent school-based interventions to improve allergy morbidity among school-aged children. Understanding the multifaceted environmental factors which may contribute to asthma pathogenesis is necessary to help guide potential school-based interventions.