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Using Medicaid data to estimate state- and county-level prevalence of asthma among low-income children

P A Buescher1, K Jones-Vessey

  • 1State Center for Health Statistics, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh 27699-1908, USA. paul.buescher@ncmail.net

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|May 3, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Over 12% of low-income children in North Carolina have asthma, with higher rates in younger children, minorities, and rural areas. Medicaid claims data effectively track pediatric asthma prevalence.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Asthma is a prevalent childhood illness with limited state-level prevalence data.
  • Accurate data on pediatric asthma is crucial for public health planning and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the prevalence of asthma among low-income children in North Carolina.
  • To utilize Medicaid paid claims and enrollment data for asthma surveillance.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Medicaid paid claims with asthma diagnoses or prescriptions for children aged 0-14 years.
  • Calculation of asthma prevalence percentages by age, race, and rural/urban residence.
  • Estimation of asthma treatment costs for the study population.

Main Results:

  • Over 12% of North Carolina children (0-14 years) enrolled in Medicaid showed indications of asthma.
  • Asthma prevalence was highest in younger children, certain minority groups, and rural residents.
  • Medicaid paid over $23 million for asthma-related services for children in fiscal year 1997-1998.

Conclusions:

  • State Medicaid databases are valuable for studying asthma and other health conditions in low-income populations.
  • Administrative data systems offer efficient updates for tracking illness trends.
  • The methodology provides a framework for state and county-level asthma prevalence monitoring.
Abstract

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