Skip to main content

Why are Children with Married Parents Healthier? The Case of Pediatric Asthma

Population Research and Policy Review volume 28, pages 347–365 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Among a recent birth cohort in U.S. cities, young children were far more likely to be diagnosed with asthma and to experience an asthma-related emergency if their parents were unmarried. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, I find that the child health benefits of marriage seem to stem from the benefits of parental coresidence and the demographic and socioeconomic correlates of marriage. Children whose parents live apart appear to be at heightened risk of asthma even after taking into account demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The child health benefits of marriage are only weakly related to mothers’ health behaviors and are not related to father involvement. An analysis of relationship transitions suggests that marital disruption may be more harmful for children than the disruption of cohabiting unions. The results provide some cautions and considerations for the U.S. government’s Healthy Marriage Initiative.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Notes

  1. The survey questionnaire combined marital separation and divorce in one response category, so I cannot distinguish between the two.

References

  • Administration for Children and Families. (2008). Reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Final rule. Federal Register, Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services. 73(24), 6771–6828.

  • Akinbami, L. J., & Schoendorf, K. C. (2002). Trends in childhood asthma: Prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality. Pediatrics, 110(2), 315–322. doi:10.1542/peds.110.2.315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P. R., & Gilbreth, J. G. (1999). Nonresident fathers and children’s well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61(3), 557–573. doi:10.2307/353560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angel, R., & Worobey, J. L. (1988). Single motherhood and children’s health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 29(1), 38–52. doi:10.2307/2137179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, S. R., & Huston, A. C. (2004). The mother–infant relationship in single, cohabiting, and married families: a case for marriage? Journal of Family Psychology, 18(1), 5–18. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.1.5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astone, N. M., & McLanahan, S. S. (1991). Family structure, parental practices and high school completion. American Sociological Review, 56(3), 309–320. doi:10.2307/2096106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berk, M. L., & Schur, C. L. (1998). Access to care: How much difference does Medicaid make? Health Affairs, 17(3), 169–180. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.17.3.169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, S. M. (1999). Feminization and juvenilization of poverty: Trends, relative risks, causes, and consequences. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 307–333. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.25.1.307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, A. M., Byrd, R. S., Weitzman, M., Auinger, P., & McBride, J. T. (2001). Impact of low birth weight on early childhood asthma in the United States. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 155(3), 401–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L. (2004). Family structure and child well-being: The significance of parental cohabitation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66(2), 351–367. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00025.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A. J., Furstenberg, F. F., Jr., Kiernan, K. E., Chase-Lansdale, P. L., Robins, P. K., Morrison, D. R., et al. (1991). Longitudinal studies of effects of divorce on children in Great Britain and the United States. Science, 252(5011), 1386–1389. doi:10.1126/science.2047851.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, N. M. (1998). Management of asthma by parents and children. In H. Kotses & A. Harver (Eds.), Self-management of asthma (pp. 271–291). New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conboy, K. (1989). Self-management skills for cooperative care in asthma. The Journal of Pediatrics, 115(5), 863–866. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(89)80124-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, D. (1991). Family structure and children’s health and well-being: data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey on Child Health. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53(3), 573–584. doi:10.2307/352734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dey, A. N., Schiller, J. S., & Tai, D. A. (2004). Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 2002. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital and Health Statistics. Series 10, 221, (pp. 1–78). Data from the National Health Survey.

  • Furstenberg, F. F., Jr., Morgan, S. P., & Allison, P. D. (1987). Paternal participation and children’s well-being after marital dissolution. American Sociological Review, 52(5), 695–701. doi:10.2307/2095604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gdalevich, M., Mimouni, D., & Mimouni, M. (2001). Breast-feeding and the risk of bronchial asthma in childhood: a systematic review with meta-analysis of prospective studies. The Journal of Pediatrics, 139(2), 261–266. doi:10.1067/mpd.2001.117006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, T. L., McLanahan, S. S., & Thomson, E. (1997). Economic resources, parental practices, and children’s wellbeing. In G. Duncan & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), Consequences of growing up poor (pp. 190–238). New York:Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, K. M., Furstenberg, F. F., Jr, & Marmer, J. K. (1998). Paternal involvement with adolescents in intact families: The influence of fathers over the life course. Demography, 35(2), 201–216. doi:10.2307/3004052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, S. A. (1995). Taking charge and making do: Childhood chronic illness in low-income black families. Research in the Sociology of Health Care, 12, 141–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homa, D. M., Mannino, D. M., & Redd, S. C. (2002). Regional differences in hospitalizations for asthma in the United States, 1988–1996. The Journal of Asthma, 39(5), 449–455. doi:10.1081/JAS-120004038.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine. (2000). Clearing the air: Asthma and indoor air exposures. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, O. (1993). The impact of childhood living conditions on illness and mortality in adulthood. Social Science and Medicine, 36(8), 1047–1052. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(93)90122-K.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D., & Lamb, K. (2003). Adolescent well-being in cohabiting, married, and single parent families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 65(4), 876–893. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00876.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D., Smock, P. J., & Majumdar, D. (2004). The relative stability of cohabiting and marital unions for children. Population Research and Policy Review, 23(2), 135–159. doi:10.1023/B:POPU.0000019916.29156.a7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marielena, L., Genovese, B., Morton, S., Nicholas, W., Rachelefsky, G., & Vaiana, M. E. (2001). Improving childhood asthma outcomes in the united states: A blueprint for policy action. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsiglio, W., Amato, P., Day, R. D., & Lamb, M. E. (2000). Scholarship on fathers in the 1990 s and beyond. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4), 1173–1191. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01173.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mauldon, J. (1990). The effects of marital disruption on children’s health. Demography, 27(3), 431–446. doi:10.2307/2061377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mauldon, J. (1992). Children’s risks of experiencing divorce and remarriage: Do disabled-children destabilize marriages? Population Studies, 46(2), 349–362. doi:10.1080/0032472031000146276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps?. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newacheck, P. W. (2000). Prevalence, impact, and trends in childhood disability due to asthma. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 154(3), 287–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichman, N., Corman, H., & Noonan, K. (2004). Child health and parents’ relationship status. Demography, 41(3), 569–584. doi:10.1353/dem.2004.0026.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribar, D. C. (2003). What do social scientists know about the benefits of marriage? A review of quantitative methodologies. Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Seltzer, J. A. (1991). Relationships between fathers and children who live apart—the fathers role after separation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53(1), 79–101. doi:10.2307/353135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seltzer, J. A. (1994). Consequences of marital dissolution for children. Annual Review of Sociology, 20, 235–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigle-Rushton, W. (2002). Richer or poorer? Marriage as an anti-poverty strategy in the United States. Population, 57(3), 519–538. doi:10.2307/1535057.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, A., & Sawhill, I. (2002). For richer or for poorer: Marriage as an antipoverty strategy. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 21(4), 587–599. doi:10.1002/pam.10075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, E., Hanson, T. L., & McLanahan, S. S. (1994). Family structure and child well-being: Economic resources vs. parental behaviors. Social Forces, 73(1), 221–242. doi:10.2307/2579924.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, R., Rodriguez, M., & Cohen, S. (1998). Review of psychosocial stress and asthma: An integrated biopsychosocial approach. Thorax, 53(12), 1066–1074.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Scholars in Health Policy Research program. The author gratefully acknowledges comments from anonymous reviewers, Jeb Barnes, Michael Hout, Sanders Korenman, Sara McLanahan, and Tod Mijanovich.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology Department, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 3718 Locust Walk, 271 McNeil Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6299, USA

    Kristen Harknett

Authors
  1. Kristen Harknett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristen Harknett.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Harknett, K. Why are Children with Married Parents Healthier? The Case of Pediatric Asthma. Popul Res Policy Rev 28, 347–365 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-008-9102-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-008-9102-9

Keywords

  • Family structure
  • Child health
  • Asthma
  • Marriage
  • Nonmarital childbearing
  • Fragile families