Who Are America's Poor Children? Examining Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity

Good health in childhood both reflects and predicts full social and economic participation. Conversely, social divisions by race and income are often associated with health disparities, which inhibit children from achieving their full potential. Although many would agree that health is a fundamental right, children subject to exclusion by race and class are less likely to enjoy this right. An earlier report in the NCCP Who are America’s Poor Children? series examined child health disparities by poverty status. In the introduction to that report two points were made. First, “the relationship between socioeconomic status and health is one of the most robust and well documented findings in social science…

[1]  Kellian Clink,et al.  National Center for Children in Poverty , 2011 .

[2]  David R Williams,et al.  Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us. , 2010, American journal of public health.

[3]  Bruce G. Link,et al.  Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Health Inequalities: Theory, Evidence, and Policy Implications , 2010, Journal of health and social behavior.

[4]  J. Gaziano.  Fifth phase of the epidemiologic transition: the age of obesity and inactivity. , 2010, JAMA.

[5]  W. Willett,et al.  The public health and economic benefits of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages. , 2009, The New England journal of medicine.

[6]  J. Brooks-Gunn,et al.  The Role of Home-Visiting Programs in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect , 2009, The Future of children.

[7]  Peter Muennig,et al.  The social costs of childhood lead exposure in the post-lead regulation era. , 2009, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[8]  Sandy Oliver,et al.  Interventions for promoting smoking cessation during pregnancy. , 2009, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[9]  T. Bryant-Stephens.  Asthma disparities in urban environments. , 2009, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[10]  S. Rosenbaum,et al.  Paying for Quality Care: Implications for Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Pediatric Asthma , 2009, Pediatrics.

[11]  Eunju Lee,et al.  Reducing low birth weight through home visitation: a randomized controlled trial. , 2009, American journal of preventive medicine.

[12]  Chris Cunningham,et al.  Effects of improved home heating on asthma in community dwelling children: randomised controlled trial , 2008, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[13]  T. J. Mathews,et al.  Infant mortality statistics from the 2005 period linked birth/infant death data set. , 2008, National vital statistics reports : from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System.

[14]  D. Bellinger,et al.  Very low lead exposures and children's neurodevelopment , 2008, Current opinion in pediatrics.

[15]  R. Goldenberg,et al.  Primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of preterm birth , 2008, The Lancet.

[16]  B. Sommers.  Why millions of children eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP are uninsured: poor retention versus poor take-up. , 2007, Health affairs.

[17]  R. Goldenberg,et al.  Low birth weight in the United States. , 2007, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[18]  A. Palloni.  Reproducing inequalities: Luck, wallets, and the enduring effects of childhood health , 2006, Demography.

[19]  T. Heeren,et al.  Child food insecurity increases risks posed by household food insecurity to young children's health. , 2006, The Journal of nutrition.

[20]  P. Amato,et al.  The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation , 2005, The Future of children.

[21]  Patricia N. Pastor,et al.  Racial and Ethnic Differences in ADHD and LD in Young School-Age Children: Parental Reports in the National Health Interview Survey , 2005, Public health reports.

[22]  L. Akinbami,et al.  Racial and Ethnic Differences in Asthma Diagnosis Among Children Who Wheeze , 2005, Pediatrics.

[23]  J. Currie.  Health Disparities and Gaps in School Readiness , 2005, The Future of children.

[24]  J. Wulu,et al.  America's Health Centers: reducing racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal care and birth outcomes. , 2004, Health services research.

[25]  A. Drewnowski.  Obesity and the food environment: dietary energy density and diet costs. , 2004, American journal of preventive medicine.

[26]  T. Selden,et al.  Tracking changes in eligibility and coverage among children, 1996-2002. , 2004, Health affairs.

[27]  Susan L. Brown.  Family Structure and Child Well‐Being: The Significance of Parental Cohabitation , 2004 .

[28]  K. Markides,et al.  Re: "evaluation of mortality data for older Mexican Americans: implications for the Hispanic paradox". , 2004, American journal of epidemiology.

[29]  H. McElroy,et al.  Randomized controlled trial of unflued gas heater replacement on respiratory health of asthmatic schoolchildren. , 2004, International journal of epidemiology.

[30]  Nancy Krieger,et al.  Working class matters: socioeconomic disadvantage, race/ethnicity, gender, and smoking in NHIS 2000. , 2004, American journal of public health.

[31]  Scott M. Lynch,et al.  Cohort and life-course patterns in the relationship between education and health: A hierarchical approach , 2003, Demography.

[32]  C. Rand,et al.  Caregiver-physician medication concordance and undertreatment of asthma among inner-city children. , 2003, Pediatrics.

[33]  N. Halfon,et al.  Preventing low birth weight: is prenatal care the answer? , 2003, The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians.

[34]  C. Gundersen,et al.  The Food Stamp Program and Food Insufficiency , 2001 .

[35]  R. Wood,et al.  Cockroach allergen abatement with extermination and sodium hypochlorite cleaning in inner-city homes. , 2001, Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.

[36]  Sabrina T. Wong,et al.  The unmet health needs of America's children. , 2000, Pediatrics.

[37]  M. Fix,et al.  Trends in Noncitizens' and Citizens' Use of Public Benefits Following Welfare Reform: 1994-97 , 1999 .

[38]  F. LeClere,et al.  Race/ethnicity nativity and U.S. adult mortality. , 1999 .

[39]  Gary D. Sandefur,et al.  Growing up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps , 1996 .

[40]  P. Newacheck,et al.  Childhood asthma and poverty: differential impacts and utilization of health services. , 1993, Pediatrics.

[41]  C. Skinner.  SNAP Take-up Among Immigrant Families with Children , 2011 .

[42]  Vanessa R. Wight,et al.  Who Are America's Poor Children? Examining Food Insecurity Among Children in the United States , 2010 .

[43]  Kay A. Johnson.  State-based Home Visiting Strengthening Programs through State Leadership , 2009 .

[44]  K. Swartz.  Health care for the poor: For whom, what care, and whose responsibility? , 2009 .

[45]  J. Ruger,et al.  Toward a Theory of a Right to Health: Capability and Incompletely Theorized Agreements. , 2006, Yale journal of law & the humanities.

[46]  J. Udry,et al.  Longitudinal trends in race/ethnic disparities in leading health indicators from adolescence to young adulthood. , 2006, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[47]  E. Moretti,et al.  California Center for Population Research On-Line Working Paper Series NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES BIOLOGY AS DESTINY? SHORT AND LONG-RUN DETERMINANTS OF INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF BIRTH WEIGHT , 2005 .