Children living in poverty are at higher risk for various chronic diseases, including asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to research from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC published in Pediatrics.
A research team led by Amy Houtrow, MD, PhD, chief of Children's Hospital's division of pediatric rehabilitation medicine, analyzed data from the National Survey of Children's Health from 2003, 2007 and 2011-12.
During the study's time period, the lifetime prevalence of asthma rose 18 percent, rose by 44 percent and autism spectrum disorder rose nearly 400 percent.
For children in poverty, the rise in asthma was nearly 26 percent, and the percent change by poverty status for ADHD was similar. The rise in autism was not associated with poverty status.
Additionally, children with asthma and ADHD from poor households typically had other chronic medical conditions as well.
"Our study emphasizes the continued need to investigate the impact of poverty on child health, as well as confirms the need for increased awareness of the effects of poverty on children to inform child health policy," said Christian Pulcini, MD, a graduate medical resident at the hospital and first author of the study.