Family perceptions of the usual source of care among children with asthma by race/ethnicity, language, and family income.
A usual source of care (USC) can serve as the foundation for good primary health care and is critical for children living with a chronic health condition. This study applies national data to the following objectives: (1) describe family reports of the presence and characteristics of the USC for children with asthma; (2) examine evidence of systematic differences in the USC for these children with asthma by race/ethnicity, English language proficiency in Hispanic respondents, and family income; and (3) conduct multivariate analysis adjusting for possible confounding factors to examine independent effects of race/ethnicity, language, and income. Data from the 1996-2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were analyzed. Overall, 95% of children with asthma had a USC, with Spanish-speaking Hispanics least likely to report a USC (89%). There were significant differences in USC attributes by race/ethnicity, language, and income, with the largest differences by type of provider and accessibility. Hispanics with poor English language proficiency had the greatest accessibility barriers.
Greek
April A
AA
Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Seattle, Washington 98109-3598, USA. greeka@battelle.org
Kieckhefer
Gail M
GM
Kim
Hyoshin
H
Joesch
Jutta M
JM
Baydar
Nazli
N
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007802:Language; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data