Changes in the health burden of a national sample of children with asthma

Abstract

This paper focused on the extent to which factors that are modifiable by health policies or provider recommendations influenced the level and changes in the burden of childhood asthma. Demographic factors, access to health care services, and asthma control activities were posited to potentially influence the level and changes in health burden of children with asthma. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data from 1996-1999 on 3-11 year old U.S. children with asthma (N=784) were used. The findings of multilevel models of perceived burden indicated unfavorable trajectories among those families who had public health insurance. Asthma control activities were associated with favorable trajectories of both perceived and objectively measured burden. These findings emphasized the significance of asthma control and access to high quality and stable health care services as health policy targets.