Asthma is a chronic lung condition characterized by dif fi culty in breathing. Some studies have suggested that asthma may be related to childhood exposure to some animals, especially dogs and cats, during the first year of life (“Exposure to Dogs and Cats in the First Year of Life and Risk of Allergic Sensitization at 6 to 7 Years of Age,” Journal of the American Medical Association [2002]: 963–972). Some environmental factors that trigger an asthmatic response are (1) cold air, (2) dust, (3) strong fumes, and

(4) inhaled irritants.

a. Write a set of questions that could be used in a survey to be given to parents of young children suffering from asthma. The survey should include questions about the presence of pets in the first year of the child’s life as well as questions about the presence of pets today. Also, the survey should include questions that address the four mentioned household environmental factors.

b. It is generally thought that low-income persons, who tend to be less well educated, have homes in environments where the four environmental factors are present. Mindful of the importance of comprehension, can you improve the questions in Part

(a) by making your vocabulary simpler or by changing the wording of the questions?

c. One problem with the pet-related questions is the reliance on memory. That is, parents may not actually remember when they got their pets. How might you check the parents’ memories about these pets?