Reuters Health
11 March 2003

Poverty tied to disability among US black children

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Black children in the U.S. are more likely than white children to have their play and other activities restricted because of some chronic condition, according to new study findings.

Yet the reason for this disparity seems to have more to do with family income than with race, a team of California and New York researchers reports.

"If we as a nation want to reduce health disparities between black and white children, we need to address the underlying inequities in family income," lead author Dr. Paul Newacheck, a professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco, told Reuters Health.

Previous studies have also identified racial disparities in the health of Americans--disparities that have persisted for 40 years.

For example, African Americans are known to have lower life expectancies than whites, as well as higher death rates for 13 of the 15 leading causes of death. Black children have higher rates of asthma than their white peers, and are more likely to be born at a low weight or die in infancy.

In the current study, the investigators examined rates of disability--or limitations in activity caused by some chronic condition--among black and white children.

They analyzed data on 400,000 children and adolescents, including nearly 23,000 disabled children, who were involved in 14 annual editions of the ongoing National Health Interview Survey between 1979 and 2000.

Altogether, disability rates increased among both blacks and whites during the two decades. The increase was 77 percent among black children, however, in comparison to 47 percent among white children.

Further, by 1999-2000, black children were 13 percent more likely than their white peers to have their activities limited for some health reason, Newacheck and his colleagues report in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

However, the researchers found, the racial disparity "disappears entirely" when family income is taken into consideration.

Black children were more likely to come from families with lower incomes, which possibly affected their access to healthcare, their exposure to certain environmental triggers and their nutrition, Newacheck and his team speculate.

"Low-income families face considerable disadvantages," Newacheck said. "Their children are more likely to live in unsafe neighborhoods, have poor nutrition, and low-quality health services. All of these factors affect whether children get illnesses and how severe they are."

To reduce the risk of disability among children, Newacheck advised parents to make sure their children develop healthy lifestyles, including eating right, exercising and taking "common sense measures" such as wearing seatbelts and bicycle helmets.

"Parents should also be sure their children receive regular check-ups," Newacheck added. "Early detection of health problems can make a big difference in preventing severe health problems."

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2003;157:244-248.