Relationships Between Welfare Status, Health Insurance Status, and Health and Medical Care Among Children With Asthma
Pamela R. Wood, MD,
Lauren A. Smith, MD, MPH,
Diana Romero, PhD, MA,
Patrick Bradshaw, MS,
Paul H. Wise, MD, MPH and
Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH
Pamela R. Wood and Patrick Bradshaw are with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Lauren A. Smith and Paul H. Wise are with the Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass. Diana Romero and Wendy Chavkin are with the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Pamela R. Wood, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900 (e-mail: woodp{at}uthscsa.edu).
Objectives. This study evaluated the relationships between healthinsurance and welfare status and the health and medical careof children with asthma.
Methods. Parents of children with asthma aged 2 to 12 yearswere interviewed at 6 urban clinical sites and 2 welfare offices.
Results. Children whose families had applied for but were deniedwelfare had more asthma symptoms than did children whose familieshad had no contact with the welfare system. Poorer mental healthin parents was associated with more asthma symptoms and higherrates of health care use in their children. Parents of uninsuredand transiently insured children identified more barriers tohealth care than did parents whose children were insured.
Conclusions. Children whose families have applied for welfareand children who are uninsured are at high risk medically andmay require additional services to improve health outcomes.
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