Does Your Child Have Asthma? Filled Prescriptions and Household Report of Child Asthma
Abstract
Introduction
Surveys are central for information on asthma prevalence. Recently, the validity of parental reports of pediatric asthma has been questioned. Confidence is examined in the report of asthma for children, obtained in a survey from the adult household member most knowledgeable about household health care (MKA).
Method
MKA reports of asthma are compared with pharmacy records of prescriptions beneficial in asthma treatment (“asthma medications”) for children 0 to 17 years old in the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Results
“Asthma medications” were filled for 6.5% of children, yet the MKA did not report asthma for 47.3% of them. However, for 61.2% of these children, the MKA reported plausible alternative medical conditions. For 9.0%, diagnosis information was missing. Among children with an “asthma medication,” the MKA was less likely to report either asthma or a plausible alternative diagnosis for girls and for children 0 to 5 years of age. Reporting was not statistically different by child race/ethnicity, household income, education level, and MKA English language proficiency.
Discussion
Surveys do not overlook as many children with asthma as previously reported. Among children with “asthma medications,” only sex and age appear to be different for children whose MKA reported either asthma or a plausible alternative diagnosis versus those whose MKA did not report either.
Reprint requests: Jutta M. Joesch, PhD, Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, 1100 Dexter Avenue N, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98109-3598.
This research was supported by grant No. RO1-HS 13110 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Dr. Kieckhefer’s work also was supported in part by Project T 72 MC 00007 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.
ABSTRACT