MOTHERS' REPORTS OF THEIR OWN HEALTH AND THEIR CHILD'S ASTHMA HEALTH; IS THERE A LINK? Mary Pat Frintner, Lynn M. Olson, Linda Radecki.. Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL.  Presented at the 2007 Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting.

Background: Little is known about the relationship between the self-reported health of mothers and reports of their child's asthma health status. Are mothers who report their own health as poor more likely to report their child's asthma health as poor?

Objective: Compare mother-report child asthma health status data with mother self-reported health.

Design/Methods: Mothers completed the SF-12 Health Survey, Children's Health Survey for Asthma (CHSA), and questions on health care utilization. SF-12 scale scores were computed for physical (PH) and mental (MH) health. Scores were dichotomized into categories: <50 and > 50; higher scores=better perceived health. CHSA scale scores were computed for: a) physical symptoms, b) child activity, c) emotional impact of asthma on child; higher scores = better perceived health. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare SF-12 scores with CHSA scores and health care utilization measures, respectively.

Results: 346 mothers were interviewed; child age M=10.9 years; 41% family yearly income <$30,000. Mothers who reported their own mental and physical health as low, were more likely to report poorer asthma health for their children, eg, mothers with lower MH scores ranked their child's physical health on the CHSA as 80.9, compared to 87.3 among mothers reporting better MH (p<.001).

The children rated in poorer asthma health by mothers with poorer health did not differ from children rated in better health by mothers in better health on measures of health care utilization. For example, 41% of children with mothers in worse MH were ever hospitalized for asthma compared to 41% of children with mothers in better MH.

Conclusions: Mothers who perceive their own health as poor may report their child's asthma health as worse even when other measures of child health are not lower. Results suggest the consideration of mother's health in the care of children with asthma. The causal direction is not clear but findings emphasize the need to understand the impact of parent proxy reports.