Sociodemographic Differences in Asthma Self-Management Knowledge of Parents Seeking Asthma Care for their Children in Pediatric Emergency Departments

J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021;32(4):2191-2201. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2021.0191.

Abstract

To effectively support asthma self-management among children most at risk for poor outcomes, it is important to examine potential disparities in parents' asthma-related knowledge. This study draws on baseline data collected from a randomized controlled trial to analyze how knowledge of asthma self-management varies by sociodemographic characteristics in a racially and economically diverse sample of Medicaid-insured children seeking emergency asthma care (N=221). Multivariable linear regression revealed that parent race/ethnicity, preferred language, and education were independently associated with scores on the Asthma Self Management Knowledge Questionnaire, and there was a significant interaction between parent race/ethnicity and education. In analyses stratified by parent education level, Latinx race/ethnicity was associated with lower-self-management knowledge among parents with higher education level, but not among those with a lower level of education. Our findings call for further research to understand and address the unique barriers to improving asthma self-management knowledge among Latinx parents and parents with limited English proficiency.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Asthma* / therapy
  • Child
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Humans
  • Parents
  • Self-Management*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States