title: Maternal reports of child health status and health conditions: the influence of self-reported maternal health status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the influence of maternal health status (MHS) on the relationship between child health conditions and child health status (CHS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample included 38 207 children aged 5 to 17 years in the 2001 to 2008 National Health Interview Surveys whose mothers were the survey respondent for the child and herself. Information was collected about CHS, MHS, diagnosed child health conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics. Responses to a question on general health status were used to rate CHS and MHS as "better" (excellent/very good health) or "worse" (good/fair/poor health). The percentage of children with worse CHS, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, was estimated using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusting for child and family sociodemographic characteristics had a negligible effect on the association between CHS and a 4-level variable that classified children by both MHS and child health conditions. The adjusted percentage of children with worse CHS was higher among children whose mothers had worse MHS compared with children whose mothers had better MHS. Moreover, among children whose mothers had worse MHS, there was a weak relationship between child health conditions and worse CHS. Among children whose mothers had better MHS, there was a strong relationship between child health conditions and worse CHS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because mother-reported CHS is used widely in epidemiological studies as a measure of a child's actual state of health, it is important to consider how maternal characteristics may influence a mother's report of a child's status. In particular, CHS reported by mothers with worse health status merits further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Md., USA. php3@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Patricia N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Reuben
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States