Ponukumati SH, Mittal R, Tafuto BA. Impact of socioeconomic factors on pediatric atopic dermatitis population. World J Meta-Anal 2025; 13(2): 105511 [DOI: 10.13105/wjma.v13.i2.105511]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Srilakshmi Haripriya Ponukumati, Doctoral Student, Department of Health Informatics, Rutgers School of Health Professions, 65 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ 07107, United States. shp110@shp.rutgers.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Dermatology
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Meta-Anal. Jun 18, 2025; 13(2): 105511 Published online Jun 18, 2025. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v13.i2.105511
Impact of socioeconomic factors on pediatric atopic dermatitis population
Srilakshmi Haripriya Ponukumati, Rahul Mittal, Barbara Ann Tafuto
Srilakshmi Haripriya Ponukumati, Rahul Mittal, Barbara Ann Tafuto, Department of Health Informatics, Rutgers School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ 07107, United States
Author contributions: Ponukumati SH conceived and designed the study, conducted the literature search, managed study selection, data extraction, analysis, and synthesis; Tafuto B critically reviewed the draft, contributed intellectual content, and actively participated in most stages of the study; Mittal R provided additional input, guidance, and oversight; Ponukumati SH, Tafuto B and Mittal R read and approved the final manuscript and take full responsibility for its content.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Srilakshmi Haripriya Ponukumati, Doctoral Student, Department of Health Informatics, Rutgers School of Health Professions, 65 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ 07107, United States. shp110@shp.rutgers.edu
Received: January 27, 2025 Revised: April 8, 2025 Accepted: May 7, 2025 Published online: June 18, 2025 Processing time: 142 Days and 19.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Atopic dermatitis (AD), or eczema, is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin disease affecting children and adults. Socioeconomic status (SES) plays a significant role in developing AD. However, mixed evidence from a previous study by Bajwa et al makes it difficult to determine the directionality of the association. There is a literature gap in understanding the causal association between AD and socioeconomic factors.
AIM
To evaluate the impact of disparities in SES on pediatric AD populations.
METHODS
Based on the eligibility criteria, the literature review identified eight articles since July 2021, and a descriptive analysis was conducted using an Excel spreadsheet on key components collected from the identified studies.
RESULTS
Eight observational studies assessed SES in pediatric AD. Five observational studies showed mixed associations between AD and SES. Sub-analysis revealed that urban areas had a higher prevalence of AD, and four studies identified a positive association between parental education and AD in the pediatric population. Socioeconomic variables, such as residential areas and household income, significantly influence disease outcomes.
CONCLUSION
There is mixed association between pediatric AD and SES, with AD positively associated with parental education. There is critical need to evaluate global impact of SES variables on pediatric AD.
Core Tip: This literature review evaluates the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD). Eight observational studies since July 2021 were analyzed. Findings reveal mixed associations between AD and SES in five studies, socioeconomic variables, including residential area and household income, have a significant effect on pediatric AD outcomes. This review emphasizes the complex relationship between SES and AD, underscoring the need for further global research to better understand and address the role of SES in pediatric AD prevalence and outcomes.
