Examination of racial disparities in childhood asthma management practices in the United States

Asthma is one of the leading chronic illnesses among children in the US. Asthma creates a burden on racial and ethnic minorities and low-income children. It has been well documented in the US that asthma is more prevalent and critical among Black children than among White children. Having adequate health insurance contributes to the continuity of asthma services. Medicaid insured children with asthma are less likely to receive health care services within the recommended national guidelines. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute developed asthma management guidelines that recommend physicians to provide all asthmatic patients with an asthma management plan to improve outcomes. Asthma management disparities have been documented in cases where racial and ethnic differences should have been minimized. The purpose of this study is to examine asthma management plan practices among children age 0-17 that experience an asthmatic episode. This study will investigate physician practices to determine if children with asthma have a written asthma management plan as recommended. This study uses secondary data from the 2002 and 2003 National Health Interview Survey, processed with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS). The 2002 and 2003 weighted sample population consisted of 3,102 children identified as having asthma. The majority of the study participants reported not having an asthma management plan at (58.42%). Statistical significance was found in the logistic regression model where 12% of Black children were less likely to report having an asthma management plan (p<.0001). Policy initiatives should be created to better recommend the guidelines of asthma management.