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Purpose of Review Socioeconomic status (SES) has long been understood to be a key determinant of the distribution of tuberculosis (TB), and the role of social factors has long been a truism of TB epidemiology. We review studies that have examined the social determinants of TB in the USA in the past 20 years. We pay particular attention to how the findings of these studies fit within the framework of fundamental cause theory and argue that a more explicit linkage with fundamental cause theory is critical for understanding the current state of TB health disparities in the USA and for charting a way towards TB elimination in the USA. Recent Findings and Summary Our review finds that while in the past 20 years there have been studies that have documented the ongoing association between social factors and TB disease in the USA, few studies explore the precise mechanisms through which social factors continue to influence TB patterns. We advocate for a move towards a system-based approach both in theory development and analyses, allowing for the incorporation of more complex social dynamics to address long-standing disparities in TB disease.

In 2017, there were nearly 80,000 asylum seekers and undocumented migrant workers in Israel, most of whom did not have health insurance. We evaluated trends in medical visits of asylum seekers and undocumented migrant workers who presented to Terem Refugee Clinic (TRC), a large clinic in Tel Aviv available only to uninsured residents of Israel. Data were collected from electronic medical records at TRC from 2013–2017. Diagnoses were grouped into categories using ICD-10-equivalent diagnosis codes. We used a chi-squared test for trends to test the significance of trends 2013 to 2017. There were 99,569 medical visits from 2013 to 2017 at TRC. Visits were lowest in 2013 (11,112), and relatively stable from 2014–2017 (range: 19,712–23,172). Most visits were among adults aged 18–35 (41.2%) and children <2 years old (23.7%). Only 3% of visits were from patients aged >50. The percentage of infectious disease diagnoses decreased over the study period, from 9.4% of all diagnoses in adults in 2014 to 5.2% in 2017, and from 32.0% of all diagnoses in children in 2013 to 19.4% in 2017. The annual percentage of respiratory diagnoses in children and adults 18–35 years of age, musculoskeletal in all adults, and digestive in adults except women ≥35 years old increased. Over time, asylum seekers and undocumented migrant workers visited TRC with fewer infectious diseases diagnoses overall but more respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and more musculoskeletal diseases.

You are being asked to participate in this study (COMIRB Protocol 18-2248) because you are a medical provider who manages children with acute asthma exacerbations in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this study is to examine outpatient treatment decisions regarding oral corticosteroids in children with acute asthma. Participation will only require that you answer a short series of questions regarding oral corticosteroid management of children with acute asthma exacerbations in your practice, followed by a few general questions about your background and work setting.