Asthma In Single-Parent Family

Asthma Single-Parent Family

Single Parent Family Homes

Asthma is worse in single-parent family homes.  This past Saturday, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center presented a study that revealed that children in single-parent families are 50% more likely to return for hospital care of their asthma than children in two-parent homes.  The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) annual meeting in Boston had a presentation regarding this finding. 

The study also revealed that children were more likely to return for hospital care for their asthma, if their family’s annual income was less than $60,000 a year.

 

Children with Asthma Need Family Support

This study, presented at the ACAAI annual meeting, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.  Therefore, this is a preliminary report.  However, pediatricians see this every day; there is a definite socioeconomic impact on childhood disease.  In general, single-parent families are more overwhelmed and have less of an income than two-parent families.  Who is there to take turns when it comes to missing work, administering medications, and catching up on much-needed sleep when caring for a sick child?  This is yet another reminder that single-parent families need more support.  Support can come from other family members, friends, and in some cases the employer.  Inevitably, where there is more parental support, the child with a chronic disease is healthier.

For more information, go to http://bit.ly/rF1NGI & on single-parent families, go to http://bit.ly/toBaiG.

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About Nancy M. Silva, MD, FAAP

I'm a Board Certified Pediatrician. I've been in practice since 2000. I'm happily married with two children. I graduated Medical School from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, NY. My Pediatric Residency training was at University of South Florida, College of Medicine. I've been in private practice since 2000. As a medical student, I had the privilege to care for children at Kings County Hospital & Downstate Medical Center in urban Brooklyn. As a resident, I cared for children at Tampa General Hospital & All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. These experiences helped shape the Pediatrician I am today.

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