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Country of Birth and Variations in Asthma and Wheezing Prevalence, and Emergency Department Utilization in Children: A NHANES Study

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Abstract

Asthma prevalence and asthma-related healthcare utilization differ across racial/ethnic groups and geographical areas. This study builds on previous research to examine the relationship between country of birth and asthma prevalence and healthcare utilization using a national data set. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Demographic and Questionnaire Files from 2007 to 2012 were used for this study. We used SPSS complex sampling design to estimate the association between country of birth and asthma prevalence, wheezing and emergency department (ED) use. The sample size was 8272 children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 years old. US-born children had more reported episodes of wheezing (p = 0.024) 95 % CI 1.06; 2.54. There was no association between country of birth and asthma and ED use. US-born children and adolescents compared to foreign-born children and adolescents are more likely to have episodes of wheezing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Southern Adventist University, 4881 Taylor Cir, Collegedale, TN, 37363, USA

    Luceta McRoy

  2. Department of Health Administration, Governors State University, University Park, IL, USA

    Zo Ramamonjiarivelo

  3. Department of Health Care Administration and Policy, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Josue Epané

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Makia Powers

  5. National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Junjun Xu & George Rust

  6. Department of Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Robert Weech-Maldonado

Authors
  1. Luceta McRoy
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  2. Zo Ramamonjiarivelo
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  3. Josue Epané
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  4. Makia Powers
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  5. Junjun Xu
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  6. Robert Weech-Maldonado
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  7. George Rust
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Correspondence to Luceta McRoy.

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McRoy, L., Ramamonjiarivelo, Z., Epané, J. et al. Country of Birth and Variations in Asthma and Wheezing Prevalence, and Emergency Department Utilization in Children: A NHANES Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 1290–1295 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0459-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0459-2

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