Abstract
Context: Access to medical homes—defined as having a primary doctor or nurse who provides comprehensive and family-centered care—is critical for children with chronic illnesses. As asthma affects nearly 5 million children in the US and symptom management can be complicated, continuous access to medical care is often necessary. Uncontrolled asthma puts children at increased risk for developing longer-lasting health problems and reduces the quality of life secondary to recurrent exacerbations.
Objective: Our objectives were to examine the prevalence of medical home access among children with asthma and the association between medical home status and asthma severity, among other sociodemographic factors.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2022 cycles of the National Survey of Children’s Health to assess how many children with asthma are classified as being in a medical home. We then assessed associations between medical home status and asthma severity, age, and family structure, using design-based X² tests.
Results: Among a sample of 3,636 children reported to have asthma, 41.5% were in a medical home. We found significant associations between medical home status and each of the variables’ tests (P < .001) except age. First, among those with severe asthma, only 19.0% were in a medical home while 45.1% with mild symptoms were. As parent education increased, so did the percentage of children who met the criteria for being in a medical home. Regarding family structure, the highest rates of medical home access were among two biological parents.
Conclusion: Our results showed that 41% of children with asthma were in medical homes—and only 1 in 5 with severe symptoms. Additionally, there are sociodemographic factors that significantly impact the likelihood of children with asthma having access to a medical home. Given the scale of children with asthma not having comprehensive medical care, national and state policies are needed to enhance access to services.
Objective: Our objectives were to examine the prevalence of medical home access among children with asthma and the association between medical home status and asthma severity, among other sociodemographic factors.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2022 cycles of the National Survey of Children’s Health to assess how many children with asthma are classified as being in a medical home. We then assessed associations between medical home status and asthma severity, age, and family structure, using design-based X² tests.
Results: Among a sample of 3,636 children reported to have asthma, 41.5% were in a medical home. We found significant associations between medical home status and each of the variables’ tests (P < .001) except age. First, among those with severe asthma, only 19.0% were in a medical home while 45.1% with mild symptoms were. As parent education increased, so did the percentage of children who met the criteria for being in a medical home. Regarding family structure, the highest rates of medical home access were among two biological parents.
Conclusion: Our results showed that 41% of children with asthma were in medical homes—and only 1 in 5 with severe symptoms. Additionally, there are sociodemographic factors that significantly impact the likelihood of children with asthma having access to a medical home. Given the scale of children with asthma not having comprehensive medical care, national and state policies are needed to enhance access to services.
| Original language | American English |
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| State | Published - 14 Feb 2025 |
| Event | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2025 - Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, United States Duration: 10 Feb 2025 → 14 Feb 2025 https://medicine.okstate.edu/research/research_days.html |
Conference
| Conference | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2025 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Tulsa |
| Period | 10/02/25 → 14/02/25 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- asthma
- medical home
- access
- sociodemographic factors