 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Nancy A. Krauss, MS, National Center for Health Statistics, Your workplace, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 4321, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301-458-4599, nak1@cdc.gov and Jeffrey A. Rhoades, PhD, Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, 540 Gather Road, Room 5212, Rockville, MD 20850.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among U.S. children, affecting over 7 million of America’s children under the age of 18. Pediatric asthma not only accounts for over 10 million missed school days, but also has a substantial impact on children’s health care utilization and expenditures. During the last decade several studies have shown that children whose parents smoke not only have higher rates of asthma but children with asthma whose parents smoke have more frequent exacerbations and more severe symptoms. Nearly 3 million children suffering from asthma are exposed to parental smoking and 37 percent of children with asthma who are exposed to parental smoking have had a recent asthma attack. The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of parental smoking on health care use and expenditures for children with asthma. Frequency and costs of medications, ambulatory provider visits, emergency department care, and hospitalizations for asthma and other respiratory conditions for children with asthma who are exposed to parental smoking are compared to health care use and expenditures for children with asthma who are not exposed to parental smoking. The analysis also includes a comparison of family characteristics, school days missed, and other health status characteristics. This analysis uses the latest utilization and expenditure information available from the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Data are derived from the Medical Events, Self-Administered Questionnaire, and Priority Condition Sections of the questionnaire.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Smoking, Asthma
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.