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Published on: August 7, 2017

Health outcomes in low-income children with current asthma in Canada

T To1, S Dell, M Tassoudji

  • 1Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. teresa.to@sickkids.ca

Chronic Diseases in Canada
|March 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with asthma face higher hospitalization and health service use rates. Low-income families also experience increased health burdens, highlighting the need for targeted support programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health Outcomes
  • Public Health Research
  • Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

  • Asthma is a prevalent chronic condition in children, impacting their overall health and well-being.
  • Socioeconomic factors, such as low-income adequacy, may influence pediatric health outcomes.
  • Longitudinal data is crucial for understanding the progression of chronic conditions and their associated healthcare utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal health outcomes, specifically hospitalizations and health services use (HSU), among Canadian children with asthma.
  • To investigate the impact of current asthma and low-income adequacy (LIA) on pediatric health outcomes.
  • To identify key populations for interventions aimed at reducing the economic burden of pediatric asthma.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) from 1994/95 and 1996/97.
  • Included over 10,000 children aged 1-11 years with complete asthma status data for both survey periods.
  • Defined current asthma based on physician diagnosis, medication use, recent symptoms, or activity limitation; analyzed hospitalizations and HSU as primary outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Children with current asthma had significantly increased odds of hospitalization (OR = 2.52) and HSU (OR = 3.80).
  • Low-income adequacy (LIA) in 1994/95 was a significant predictor of hospitalization (OR = 2.68) and HSU (OR = 0.67) in 1996/97.
  • Both current asthma and low-income status demonstrated a significant impact on children's health status in Canada.

Conclusions:

  • Current asthma and low-income status are significant determinants of pediatric health outcomes in Canada.
  • Interventions targeting asthma and low-income populations are essential for reducing the economic burden of pediatric hospitalizations.
  • Future public health programs should prioritize these vulnerable groups to improve health equity and reduce healthcare costs.

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