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Inhaled corticosteroids in childhood asthma: Income differences in use
Author(s) -
Kozyrskyj Anita L.,
Mustard Cameron A.,
R. Simons F. Estelle
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.10335
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , medical prescription , socioeconomic status , corticosteroid , specialty , pediatrics , inhaled corticosteroids , population , family medicine , environmental health , pharmacology
Asthma hospitalization rates in children increase with decreasing level of household income. This research was undertaken to determine whether use of inhaled corticosteroid drugs, which can prevent asthma hospitalizations, followed a similar socioeconomic gradient in children with asthma. We performed a cross‐sectional study of association, using population‐based prescription and healthcare data sources. Our subjects were 16,862 Manitoba children, aged 5–15 years, with prescriptions for asthma drugs during January 1995–March 1996. Our measures were adjusted for asthma severity, physician specialty, and proportion of children with an inhaled corticosteroid prescription by neighborhood income. Forty‐five percent of children treated for asthma had at least one inhaled corticosteroid prescription during January 1995–March 1996. The proportion of children with inhaled corticosteroid prescriptions decreased with successive decreases in neighborhood income. The socioeconomic gradient in the likelihood of an inhaled corticosteroid prescription was most evident among children with mild‐moderate asthma who were not in the care of an asthma specialist. In conclusion, a socioeconomic gradient in the use of inhaled corticosteroids prescriptions can be found among children with universal access to healthcare and drug insurance. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:241–247. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.