Family Structure and the Treatment of Childhood Asthma
Background: Family structure is known to influence children's
behavioral, educational, and cognitive outcomes, and recent
studies suggest that family structure affects children's access
to health care as well. However, no study has addressed whether
family structure is associated with the care children receive
for particular conditions or with their physical health
outcomes. Objective: To assess the effects of family structure
on the treatment and outcomes of children with asthma. Methods:
Our data sources were the 1996-2003 Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey (MEPS) and the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health
(NSCH). The study samples consisted of children 2-17 years of
age with asthma who lived in single-mother or two-parent
families. We assessed the effect of number of parents and number
of other children in the household on office visits for asthma
and use of asthma medications using negative binomial
regression, and we assessed the effect of famil