Does Parental Health Mediate the Relationship between Parental Uninsurance and Insured Children's Health Outcomes? Evidence from a U.S. National Survey.
Although the United States has made great strides in ensuring near universal health care access for children, the health insurance coverage gap between children and their parents remains high. This study analyzed aggregated data from the 2006-2013 National Health Interview Survey to investigate the direct relationships between parental uninsurance and children's health outcomes. Authors explored how parental health mediates the relationship between parents' health and children's health outcomes. Results suggest that insured children of uninsured parents have worse health status and are at higher risk of asthma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and mental disabilities compared with insured children of insured parents. Parental health mediated this relationship. These findings illuminate the pathway between parental uninsurance and child health outcomes and suggest that policies that provide health insurance coverage to both children and their parents may improve both parental health and children's health outcomes. This study fills an important gap in the literature related to how parental uninsurance affects children's health outcomes mediated by the impact of uninsurance on parental health.
MS Program in Global Health Policy and Management, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, and School of Social Work, Boston University.
Ilhom
I
Akobirshoev
MS Program in Global Health Policy and Management, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, and School of Social Work, Boston University.
Diana
D
Bowser
MS Program in Global Health Policy and Management, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, and School of Social Work, Boston University.
Susan L
SL
Parish
MS Program in Global Health Policy and Management, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, and School of Social Work, Boston University.
Cindy
C
Thomas
MS Program in Global Health Policy and Management, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, and School of Social Work, Boston University.
Sara S
SS
Bachman
D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D002662:Child Health Services; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
health insurance; mediation analysis; mother and child health; parental health; parental uninsurance