Caregiver Quality of Life in Pediatric Asthma: Family and Cultural Predictors

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health disparities in pediatric asthma continue to be a significant public health concern. Racial and ethnic minority children with asthma, particularly Latino and African American children, are at greater risk for increased morbidity (e.g., emergency department (ED) utilization) and mortality. As pediatric asthma is managed within the family context, mechanisms to explain such differences might include parent quality of life (QOL; parent adaption to the child's illness), family beliefs about asthma, and caregiver asthma status. In particular, caregiver QOL may be a key factor in pathways explaining racial and ethnic differences in ED utilization. Further, it is likely that culturally based beliefs about asthma are important aspects of caregiver QOL that are not captured by current measurements of caregiver QOL. Assessments of caregiver QOL provide critical knowledge to health care providers and clinicians regarding the burden that the child's asthma and treatment regimen can present on the family's daily life and barriers to effective asthma control. This study is an investigation of caregiver QOL in Latino (Dominican and Puerto Rican), African American, and Non-Latino White (NLW) families with a child with asthma. First, data collected from the Rhode Island/Puerto Rico Asthma Center for the NHLBI funded study, "Pediatric Asthma Disparities: Perceptions and Management" (U01- HI072438, G. Fritz, G. Canino, PIs), will be analyzed. RIPRAC is one of only four NHLBI funded centers examining asthma health disparities. Through these analyses, the validity of the widely used, Pediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ; Juniper et al., 1996) will be examined among Latino and NLW caregivers in Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. Second, data on 150 Latino, African American, and NLW families with a child with asthma will be collected. Racial and ethnic differences in associations between asthma beliefs, caregiver asthma, caregiver QOL, and ED use will be assessed. Findings from this study will be used to identify modifiable targets of family-based interventions to improve caregiver QOL and decrease morbidity in African American and Latino children with asthma. ! PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Health disparities in pediatric asthma are a growing public health concern, especially with respect to increased emergency care utilization in Latino and African American children as compared to Non-Latino Whites. As pediatric asthma is managed within families, pathways related to the utilization of emergency services might include the impact of culturally based asthma beliefs on caregiver quality of life. Ultimately, findings from this study will identify modifiable targets of family-based interventions to improve parent adaption to child asthma and decrease morbidity in Latino and African American children. !