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Osypuk TL, Gailey S, Schmidt NM, Garcia DA. Does poor health influence residential selection? Understanding mobility among low-income housing voucher recipients in the Moving to Opportunity Study. HOUSING POLICY DEBATE 2024; 34:508-537. [PMID: 39238599 PMCID: PMC11374104 DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2023.2301336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Housing mobility programs and housing choice vouchers provide low-income families with a potentially-transformative opportunity to move to low-poverty neighborhoods. However, families often face barriers to attaining upward residential mobility; poor health may be one important barrier, although few studies have examined this hypothesis. We used the experimental Moving to Opportunity (MTO) Study, constructed residential trajectories, and linked neighborhood opportunity measures to over 14,000 addresses of 3526 families across 7 years. We used latent growth curve longitudinal models to test how baseline health modified effects of MTO housing voucher treatment on neighborhood opportunity trajectories. Results show that poor baseline health adversely influenced how the voucher induced upward mobility. Voucher receipt strongly promoted residential mobility if families were healthy; moreover the low-poverty neighborhood voucher plus counseling treatment promoted higher opportunity neighborhood attainment compared to controls, regardless of the baseline health of the family. However families with health vulnerabilities did not retain the same initial neighborhood gains conferred by the housing choice voucher treatment, as families without health vulnerabilities. These results suggest that housing counseling may be one necessary element to expand neighborhood choice into higher opportunity neighborhoods for families with health challenges. Providing housing vouchers alone are insufficient to promote low-income family high opportunity moves, for families who have disabilities or special needs. The implications of these results point to scaling up housing mobility programs, to provide tailored support for low-income families to use housing choice vouchers to make high opportunity moves, which is particularly necessary for families with health challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa L Osypuk
- University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, and Director of the Minnesota Population Center
| | - Samantha Gailey
- University of Minnesota, Minnesota Population Center; Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, Departments of Public Health and Forestry
| | | | - Dolores Acevedo Garcia
- Youth and Family Policy, Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management
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Gold S, Wagner B. Acute care utilization and housing hardships in American children. CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW 2022; 136:106447. [PMID: 35342214 PMCID: PMC8955135 DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Millions of families in the United States are economically vulnerable: one shock can lead to hardship. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the association between acute healthcare utilization - emergency room visits or hospitalizations - and subsequent housing hardships, such as being evicted for financial reasons. Further, we explore whether this association differs by who in the family utilized the care and whether perceived social support protects against hardship when these experiences occur. Using lagged dependent variable regression models, we find that families that visited the emergency room or were hospitalized, regardless if it was a child or parent with this experience, were five percentage points more likely to experience any housing hardship than families that did not use acute care. Among families in which a child utilized acute care, perceived social support buffered the impact of using acute care. That perceived social support is associated with a lower likelihood of housing hardship among families that experienced acute care utilization for a child, but not parent, suggests that social support may be able to offset the challenges arising from children's, but not adults', use of acute care. In the face of economic precarity, informal safety nets may be insufficient to reduce the impact of acute care utilization on housing hardships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gold
- Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Brandon Wagner
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Texas Tech University, 63 Holden Hall, Lubbock, TX 79409
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Zhang X. Household Chaos and Caregivers' and Young Children's Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mediation Model. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 2022; 31:1547-1557. [PMID: 35287306 PMCID: PMC8907899 DOI: 10.1007/s10826-022-02283-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Based on 764 households with young children in Wuhan, China, where the COVID-19 pandemic started, this study investigated how household chaos during the pandemic was associated with the mental health problems of children and their caregivers. It also examined the familial correlates of household chaos. The results showed that household chaos was associated with caregiver-rated symptoms of anxiety/withdrawal, fearfulness and acting out exhibited by young children and the symptoms of anxiety and depression in their caregivers. Moreover, caregivers' depression and anxiety mediated the relations between household chaos and caregiver-rated child mental health problems. Additionally, caregivers living in families with a single caregiver, a larger family size, poorer physical health, and more significant income loss reported greater levels of household chaos during the pandemic. These findings highlight the importance of reducing household chaos to promote the mental health of young children and their caregivers during the pandemic. They also underscore the need to identify families with high levels of chaos based on key background variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
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4
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OUP accepted manuscript. Health Promot Int 2022:6522744. [DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daac006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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5
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Houle JN, Berger L. Children with disabilities and trajectories of parents' unsecured debt across the life course. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2017; 64:184-196. [PMID: 28364843 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Prior research shows that having a child with a disability is economically burdensome for parents but we know little about whether this burden extends to unsecured debt. In this study, we examine the link between having a child with a disability that manifests between birth and age 4 and subsequent trajectories in unsecured household debt. We have three key findings. First, we find that having a child with an early-life disabling health condition is associated with a substantial increase in indebtedness in the years immediately following the child's birth, and that this association persists net of a range of potential confounders. Second, we find that parents do not quickly repay this debt, such that parents of a child with a disabling health condition have different trajectories of unsecured debt across the life course than do parents of children without a disabling health condition. Third, we find that the association between early-life child disability and debt is stronger for more severe conditions, such as those that require ongoing medical treatment. The results of this study are informative for understanding an important aspect of economic functioning-indebtedness-for parents of children with disabilities, as well as the causes and correlates of rising unsecured debt in the U.S.
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Adebowale SA, Morakinyo OM, Ana GR. Housing materials as predictors of under-five mortality in Nigeria: evidence from 2013 demographic and health survey. BMC Pediatr 2017; 17:30. [PMID: 28103828 PMCID: PMC5248529 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-016-0742-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nigeria is among countries with high Under-Five Mortality (U5M) rates worldwide. Both maternal and childhood factors have been linked to U5M in the country. However, despite the growing global recognition of the association between housing and quality of life, the role of housing materials as predictors of U5M remain largely unexplored in Nigeria. This study, therefore, investigated the relationship between housing materials and U5M in Nigeria. METHODS The study utilised the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data. A representative sample of 40,680 households was selected for the survey. The sample included 18,516 women of reproductive age who had given birth in the past 5 years prior the survey; with attention on the survival status of the index child (the most recent delivery). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Cox-proportional hazard and Brass 2-parameter models (α = 0.05). RESULTS The hazard ratio of U5M was 1.46 (C.I = 1.02-1.47, p < 0.001) and 1.23 (C.I = 1.24-1.71, p < 0.001) higher among children who lived in houses built with inadequate and moderate housing materials respectively than those in good housing materials. Under-five deaths show a downward trend (slope = -0.4871) relative to the housing materials assessment score. The refined U5M rate was 143.5, 127.0 and 90.8 per 1000 live birth among women who live in houses built with inadequate, moderate and adequate housing materials respectively. Other predictors of U5M were; the size of the child at birth, preceding birth interval, prenatal care provider, residence and education. Under-five death reduces with increasing maternal level of; education, wealth quintile, media exposure and housing material type and mostly experienced by Muslim women (6.0%), rural women (6.5%) and women residence in the North-West geopolitical zones (6.9%). CONCLUSIONS Living in houses built with poor housing materials promoted U5M in Nigeria. Provision of sustainable housing by the government and the maintenance of existing housing stock to healthful conditions will play a significant role in reducing the burden of U5M in Nigeria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Ayo Adebowale
- Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Oyewale Mayowa Morakinyo
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Godson Rowland Ana
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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7
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Noonan K, Corman H, Reichman NE. Effects of maternal depression on family food insecurity. ECONOMICS AND HUMAN BIOLOGY 2016; 22:201-215. [PMID: 27281498 DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2016.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort to estimate the effects of maternal depression, a condition that is fairly common and can be severe, on food insecurity, a hardship that has increased substantially in the U.S. Using various model specifications, we find convincing evidence that severe maternal depression increases the likelihood that young children experience food insecurity by 23-79%, with estimates depending on model specification and measures of depression and food insecurity. For household food insecurity, the corresponding estimates are 11-69%. We also find that maternal depression increases reliance on several types of public programs, suggesting that the programs play a buffering role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Noonan
- Department of Economics, Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States.
| | - Hope Corman
- Department of Economics, Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States.
| | - Nancy E Reichman
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, 89 French St., Room 4269, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States.
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Andersen MJ, Williamson AB, Fernando P, Redman S, Vincent F. "There's a housing crisis going on in Sydney for Aboriginal people": focus group accounts of housing and perceived associations with health. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:429. [PMID: 27220748 PMCID: PMC4877811 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3049-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Poor housing is widely cited as an important determinant of the poor health status of Aboriginal Australians, as for indigenous peoples in other wealthy nations with histories of colonisation such as Canada, the United States of America and New Zealand. While the majority of Aboriginal Australians live in urban areas, most research into housing and its relationship with health has been conducted with those living in remote communities. This study explores the views of Aboriginal people living in Western Sydney about their housing circumstances and what relationships, if any, they perceive between housing and health. METHODS Four focus groups were conducted with clients and staff of an Aboriginal community-controlled health service in Western Sydney (n = 38). Inductive, thematic analysis was conducted using framework data management methods in NVivo10. RESULTS Five high-level themes were derived: the battle to access housing; secondary homelessness; overcrowding; poor dwelling conditions; and housing as a key determinant of health. Participants associated their challenging housing experiences with poor physical health and poor social and emotional wellbeing. Housing issues were said to affect people differently across the life course; participants expressed particular concern that poor housing was harming the health and developmental trajectories of many urban Aboriginal children. CONCLUSIONS Housing was perceived as a pivotal determinant of health and wellbeing that either facilitates or hinders prospects for full and healthy lives. Many of the specific health concerns participants attributed to poor housing echo existing epidemiological research findings. These findings suggest that housing may be a key intervention point for improving the health of urban Aboriginal Australians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie J Andersen
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. .,The Sax Institute, 235 Jones St, Haymarket, 2007, Australia.
| | - Anna B Williamson
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,The Sax Institute, 235 Jones St, Haymarket, 2007, Australia
| | - Peter Fernando
- The Sax Institute, 235 Jones St, Haymarket, 2007, Australia
| | - Sally Redman
- The Sax Institute, 235 Jones St, Haymarket, 2007, Australia
| | - Frank Vincent
- The Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney, 2 Palmerston Rd, Mt Druitt Village, 2770, Australia
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9
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Corman H, Curtis MA, Noonan K, Reichman NE. Maternal depression as a risk factor for children's inadequate housing conditions. Soc Sci Med 2016. [PMID: 26708243 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.0540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Depression among mothers with young children is an important public health issue that not only has implications for their own well-being, but can also potentially affect their children's health and developmental trajectories. This study explored the extent to which maternal depression is a risk factor for inadequate housing conditions related to utilities, a noteworthy risk factor for poor child health. Using data on 2965 mothers and children from a national urban cohort of U.S. births in 1998-2000, we estimated multivariate logistic regression models of associations between maternal depression during the postpartum year and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) measure of severely inadequate housing due to heating issues, as well as a broader measure of energy insecurity that encompasses various types of utility problems. We also considered outcomes that incorporated housing instability and food insecurity in conjunction with housing inadequacy. Mothers who experienced depression had about 60% higher odds of experiencing severely inadequate housing due to heat (OR: 1.57) and 70% higher odds of experiencing energy insecurity (OR: 1.69) compared to mothers who did not experience depression. Maternal depression was even more strongly associated with multiple hardships in the forms of housing inadequacy plus housing instability and/or food insecurity than it was with housing inadequacy. This study provides robust evidence that maternal depression is a risk factor for inadequate housing and multiple hardships during a critical period of children's development. The findings suggest that policy efforts should not occur in mental health, housing, and food security silos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hope Corman
- Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, United States
| | - Marah A Curtis
- School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin at Madison, United States
| | - Kelly Noonan
- Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, United States.
| | - Nancy E Reichman
- Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, United States
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10
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Corman H, Curtis MA, Noonan K, Reichman NE. Maternal depression as a risk factor for children's inadequate housing conditions. Soc Sci Med 2016; 149:76-83. [PMID: 26708243 PMCID: PMC6058679 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Depression among mothers with young children is an important public health issue that not only has implications for their own well-being, but can also potentially affect their children's health and developmental trajectories. This study explored the extent to which maternal depression is a risk factor for inadequate housing conditions related to utilities, a noteworthy risk factor for poor child health. Using data on 2965 mothers and children from a national urban cohort of U.S. births in 1998-2000, we estimated multivariate logistic regression models of associations between maternal depression during the postpartum year and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) measure of severely inadequate housing due to heating issues, as well as a broader measure of energy insecurity that encompasses various types of utility problems. We also considered outcomes that incorporated housing instability and food insecurity in conjunction with housing inadequacy. Mothers who experienced depression had about 60% higher odds of experiencing severely inadequate housing due to heat (OR: 1.57) and 70% higher odds of experiencing energy insecurity (OR: 1.69) compared to mothers who did not experience depression. Maternal depression was even more strongly associated with multiple hardships in the forms of housing inadequacy plus housing instability and/or food insecurity than it was with housing inadequacy. This study provides robust evidence that maternal depression is a risk factor for inadequate housing and multiple hardships during a critical period of children's development. The findings suggest that policy efforts should not occur in mental health, housing, and food security silos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hope Corman
- Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, United States
| | - Marah A Curtis
- School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin at Madison, United States
| | - Kelly Noonan
- Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, United States.
| | - Nancy E Reichman
- Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, United States
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Johnson SB, Lynch KF, Baxter J, Lernmark B, Roth R, Simell T, Smith L. Predicting Later Study Withdrawal in Participants Active in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study for 1 Year: The TEDDY Study. J Pediatr Psychol 2015; 41:373-83. [PMID: 26412232 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsv092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify predictors of later study withdrawal among participants active in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) for 1 year. METHODS Multiple logistic regression was used to discriminate 3,042 children active in TEDDY for the first 3 years from 432 children who withdrew in Years 2 or 3. Predictor variables were tested in blocks-demographic, maternal lifestyle behaviors, stress and child illness, maternal reactions to child's increased diabetes risk, in-study behaviors-and a final best model developed. RESULTS Few demographic factors predicted study withdrawal. Maternal lifestyle behaviors, accuracy of the mother's risk perception, and in-study behaviors were more important. Frequent child illnesses were associated with greater study retention. CONCLUSIONS Demographic measures are insufficient predictors of later study withdrawal among those active in a study for at least 1 year; behavioral/psychological factors offer improved prediction and guidance for the development of retention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Judith Baxter
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado
| | | | - Roswith Roth
- Helmholtz Center and Institute for Psychology, Graz University
| | - Tuula Simell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Turku, and
| | - Laura Smith
- Health Informatics Institute, University of South Florida
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12
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Effects of infant health on family food insecurity: evidence from two U.S. birth cohort studies. Soc Sci Med 2014; 123:18-25. [PMID: 25462601 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Extremely little is known about the effects of health on food insecurity despite strong associations between the two and a theoretical basis for this avenue of inquiry. This study uses data from two national birth cohort studies in the U.S., the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (N = ∼9400) from 2001 to 2003 and the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2458) from 1998 to 2003, to estimate the effects of poor infant health on child and household food insecurity and explore the potential buffering effects of public programs that provide food, healthcare, and cash assistance. We address the issue of causality by defining poor infant health as an unexpected shock and conducting relevant specification tests. We find convincing evidence that poor infant health does not affect food insecurity but that it greatly increases reliance on cash assistance for low-income individuals with disabilities, which appears to be playing a buffering role.
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Curtis MA, Corman H, Noonan K, Reichman NE. Maternal depression as a risk factor for family homelessness. Am J Public Health 2014; 104:1664-70. [PMID: 25033116 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2014.301941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We estimated the effects of maternal depression during the postpartum year, which is often an unexpected event, on subsequent homelessness and risk of homelessness in a national sample of urban, mostly low-income mothers. METHODS We used logistic regression models to estimate associations between maternal depression during the postpartum year and both homelessness and risk of homelessness 2 to 3 years later, controlling for maternal and family history of depression, prenatal housing problems, and other covariates. Risk factors for homelessness included experiencing evictions or frequent moves and moving in with family or friends and not paying rent. RESULTS We found robust associations between maternal depression during the postpartum year and subsequent homelessness and risk of homelessness, even among mothers who had no history of mental illness, whose own mothers did not have a history of depressive symptoms, and who had no previous housing problems. CONCLUSIONS This study provides robust evidence that maternal mental illness places families with young children at risk for homelessness, contributes to the scant literature elucidating directional and causal links between mental illness and homelessness, and contributes to a stagnant but important literature on family homelessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah A Curtis
- Marah A. Curtis is with the School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Hope Corman and Kelly Noonan are with the Department of Economics, Rider University, and the National Bureau of Economic Research, Lawrenceville, NJ. Nancy E. Reichman is with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
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Abstract
We exploited an exogenous health shock-namely, the birth of a child with a severe health condition-to investigate the effect of a life shock on homelessness in large cities in the United States as well as the interactive effects of the shock with housing market characteristics. We considered a traditional measure of homelessness, two measures of housing instability thought to be precursors to homelessness, and a combined measure that approximates the broadened conceptualization of homelessness under the 2009 Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (2010). We found that the shock substantially increases the likelihood of family homelessness, particularly in cities with high housing costs. The findings are consistent with the economic theory of homelessness, which posits that homelessness results from a conjunction of adverse circumstances in which housing markets and individual characteristics collide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marah A Curtis
- School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1350 University Ave, Madison, WI, 53706, USA,
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Kamp Dush CM, Schmeer KK, Taylor M. Chaos as a social determinant of child health: Reciprocal associations? Soc Sci Med 2013; 95:69-76. [PMID: 23541250 PMCID: PMC4001793 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
This study informs the social determinants of child health by exploring an understudied aspect of children's social contexts: chaos. Chaos has been conceptualized as crowded, noisy, disorganized, unpredictable settings for child development (Evans, Eckenrode, & Marcynyszyn, 2010). We measure chaos at two levels of children's ecological environment - the microsystem (household) and the mesosystem (work-family-child care nexus) - and at two points in early childhood (ages 3 and 5). Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3288), a study of predominantly low-income women and their partners in large US cities, we develop structural equation models that assess how maternal-rated child health (also assessed at ages 3 and 5) is associated with latent constructs of chaos, and whether there are important reciprocal effects. Autoregressive cross-lagged path analysis suggest that increasing chaos (at both the household and maternal work levels) is associated with worse child health, controlling for key confounders like household economic status, family structure, and maternal health status. Child health has little effect on chaos, providing further support for the hypothesis that chaos is an important social determinant of child health in this sample of relatively disadvantaged children. This suggests child health may be improved by supporting families in ways that reduce chaos in their home and work/family environments, and that as researchers move beyond SES, race, and family structure to explore other sources of health inequalities, chaos and its proximate determinants may be a promising avenue for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Kamp Dush
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, The Ohio State University, 171A Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, 614-247-2126 (tel.), 614-292-4365 (fax)
| | - Kammi K. Schmeer
- Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, 238 Townshend Hall, 1885 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, , 614-247-8110 (tel.), 614-292-6687 (fax)
| | - Miles Taylor
- Department of Sociology, Florida State University, Florida State University, 633 W. Call St., Tallahassee, FL 32306, 850-644-5418 (tel.), 850-644-2304 (fax)
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17
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Reichman NE, Teitler JO. Lifecourse Exposures and Socioeconomic Disparities in Child Health. NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FAMILY ISSUES 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6194-4_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Wallner B, Fieder M, Seidler H. Ownership of dwelling affects the sex ratio at birth in Uganda. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51463. [PMID: 23284697 PMCID: PMC3524175 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Socio-economic conditions can affect the secondary sex ratio in humans. Mothers under good environmental conditions are predicted to increase the birth rates of sons according to the Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH). This study analyzed the effects of ownership and non-ownership of dwellings on the sex ratio at birth (SRB) on a Ugandan sample. Methodology/Principal Findings Our investigation included 438,640 mothers aged between 12 and 54 years. The overall average SRB was 0.5008. Mothers who live in owned dwellings gave increased births to sons (0.5019) compared to those who live in non-owned dwellings (0.458). Multivariate statistics revealed the strongest effects of dwelling ownership when controlling for demographic and social variables such as marital status, type of marriage, mothers’ age, mothers’ education, parity and others. Conclusions/Significance The results are discussed in the framework of recent plausible models dealing with the adjustment of the sex ratio. We conclude that the aspect of dwelling status could represent an important socio-economic parameter in relation to SRB variations in humans if further studies are able to analyze it between different countries in a comparative way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Wallner
- Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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