Better Breathing or Better Living? A Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of Asthma Medication Acquisition on Standard of Living and Quality of Life in Low-income Families of Children With Asthma
Abstract
Introduction
Purchasing children’s asthma medications places a burden on low-income families. The objective of this study was to explore how purchasing children’s asthma medications influenced household purchasing behavior and quality of life in low-income families with no drug insurance.
Method
Seventeen parents residing in the Greater Toronto Area with no drug plan and with household incomes below U.S. $45,000 (twice the U.S. poverty level) participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, emphasizing the topics of prescription drugs used and cost versus effectiveness; purchasing behavior and drug administration; effects of medication purchasing on the family; and payment assistance. Transcribed narratives were coded and analyzed thematically.
Results
Annual expenditures for asthma drugs were U.S. $300 to $3000. Because asthma management was a high priority, foregone expenditures included paying for other family members’ health needs, essentials (clothing, food, better housing), and nonessentials (recreation, vacations) and long-term investments, such as their child’s future education and their retirement. Respondents believed quality of life was negatively affected.
Discussion
Not addressing the health concerns of family members, making sacrifices, and modifying investment decisions created sustained anxiety in families of children with asthma. Access to medication benefits would have a positive impact on quality of life. Health care providers can help to ensure that low-income families receive available assistance.
Reprint requests: Dr. Wendy Ungar, Population Health Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
This research was funded by an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant No. 37919). Dr. Ungar is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Career award.
ABSTRACT