Examination of Racial Disparities in Childhood Asthma Management Practices

Authors

Crystal N. Piper, University of South CarolinaFollow
Saundra Glover, University of South CarolinaFollow
Kieth Elder, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Jong-Deuk Baek, University of South CarolinaFollow

Keywords

Adolescent health services; Asthma – Treatment; Asthma in children; Asthmatics; Child health services; Children of minorities; Discrimination in medical care; Health services; Public health; Social status – Health aspects

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Demography, Population, and Ecology | Gender and Sexuality | Maternal and Child Health | Medicine and Health | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

Objective: To analyze asthma management plan practices for children with asthma in the United States considering race and other demographic and person-level characteristics.

Methods: Univariate/Bivariate/Multivariate analysis was performed to examine asthma management plan physician recommendations among children in the United States utilizing secondary data analysis of the 2002 and 2003 National Health Interview Survey.

Results: The majority of the study participants reported not having an asthma management plan at (59.00%). In multivariate analysis using SAS callable SUDAAN, Whites were significantly more likely to have an asthma management plan (OR=1.66, p=.0031).

Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate that Black and Hispanic children with asthma are less likely to have an asthma management plan. Mandating all insurers to provide an asthma management plan to children with asthma may reduce the race-based inequities and requiring emergency room physicians to provide children with an asthma management plan may target those children that do not have a plan.

Recommended Citation

Piper, Crystal N.; Glover, Saundra; Elder, Kieth; and Baek, Jong-Deuk (2008) "Examination of Racial Disparities in Childhood Asthma Management Practices," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 2: Iss. 3, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol2/iss3/1