According to a new, first-of-its-kind study, Latine children who prefer speaking Spanish are more likely to visit a community health center for their acute asthma symptoms than their non-Hispanic white peers. Alternatively, non-Hispanic Black children are more likely to receive asthma-related care in an emergency department than their non-Hispanic white peers. The authors observed no differences between groups in asthma-related inpatient admissions.
The effects of poverty may have been greater for Black children in the study, of which 73% of an Oregon-Medicaid subsample continuously lived below 138% of the federal poverty level. This was compared to 54%-58% in the other groups. The authors hypothesize that higher levels of poverty may have influenced health care utilization, as well as other factors beyond affordability, including perceived racial discrimination and trust in community health clinics. Ensuring adequate care in clinics may be key to mitigating disparities in asthma outcomes. At the same time, more research is needed to better understand why Black children are less likely to seek care in a clinic as opposed to the emergency room.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Acute Care Use for Pediatric Asthma
Jorge Kaufmann, MD, MS, et al
Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
https://www.doi.org/10.1370/afm.2771
The Annals of Family Medicine