Paper
Monday, November 14, 2005
Relationships Between Low-Income Mothers' Perceptions About Children's Health and Their Children's Health Service Use and Health Status
Rachel F. Schiffman, PhD, RN, FAAN1, Seung-Yeon Lee, MS2, Lorraine M. McKelvey, PhD3, Mildred A. (Omar) Horodynski, PhD, RNC4, and Sharon Hoerr, PhD, RD, FACN2. (1) College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA, (2) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, (3) University Outreach and Engagement, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, (4) College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Identify two preventive child health issues for low-income families
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| Learning Objective #2: Identify one nursing implication for addressing preventive health for low-income children
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The purpose of this study was to examine whether mothers' perceptions of children's health were related to children's immunization rates, medical conditions, and ill and well child office visits. The data are from a longitudinal study of 118 dyads of mothers and children in low-income families that was based on the team-developed Family Health Model. Data were collected at enrollment, at the child's 14th, 24th, and 36th month of age, at 7, 16, and 28 months after enrollment, and through medical records review. At enrollment, mothers were 23.4 ± 5 years old; Children, 4.9 ± 3.7 months. Most mothers were Caucasian and single. Mothers perceived their children's health as good (Mean of 4 time points = 3.7 ± .7, 5 point scale) and 95% had a regular healthcare provider with 88% of children covered by Medicaid 7 months after enrollment. Dependent upon type, immunizations varied from 29% to 88%. By age 3 years the average number of well-child office visits was 5.7 ± 3 (recommended = 10) and average ill visits, 9.2 ± 6.7. There was no association between mothers' child health ratings and immunization status. Mothers who rated their children's health as poor/fair or good at 14 months were more likely to report asthma/wheezing and/or recurrent ear infections at the 7, 16, and 28 month interviews than those who rated as very good/excellent. Higher ratings of children's health were negatively related to number of hospitalizations (r = -.34), number of ill child office visits (r = -.3), and to the number of well child visits (r = -.24). Children living in poverty were not receiving adequate immunizations. Nurses should emphasize the importance of completion of immunization and also address to mothers that preventive care should not be overlooked, particularly well-child care, especially those who perceived their children are healthy.