Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Open Access

Abstract

High disease prevalence rates continue to significantly impact illness and mortality rates of American children. Therefore, an investigation of specific identifiable risk factors, which may be associated with negative health outcomes among children’s groups, may therefore be warranted. A large randomly drawn sample (N =422,599) of boys (n = 198.960) and girls (n = 223,639) ages 4 to 12, was examined in this research study to test for the association between disease prevalence and the factors of Healthcare Quality, Household Income, Race, and Gender. The Pearson Chi Square test for Association was applied to measure for significant variable associations in this research study. This research study examined inpatient admissions for pediatric patients using the Kids´ Inpatient Database (KID), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2016). The results of this study found that there were statistically significant associations between negative disease outcomes and identifiable risk factors, which were investigated (p< .05). The findings from this research study provide support for establishing the initiatives that may assist in reducing disease and illness rates among children’s groups. The results of the Chi Square Analyses found statistically significant associations (p< .05) between HQ and ten of the twelve disease outcomes (See Table 1). No significant associations were found between HQ and the factors of ES and DEP. There were statistically significant associations found between HI and each of the disease outcomes (p< .001), with the exception of the factor of ES (See Table 1). Statistically significant association were found between RACE and nine of the disease outcomes (p<.05). There were no significant associations found between RACE and the factors of PNEU, ES, and MEN (p> .05) (See Table 1). Additionally, statistically significant associations were found between GEN and nine disease outcomes (p< .05), and no significant associations were found between GEN and the factors of PNEU, ES, and MEN (p> .05) (See Table 1).

Biography

Patricia Talbert began her vocation in public health working to empower communities regarding the importance of preventative diseases, promoting healthy lifestyles, and working on health disparities initiatives. While serving in the community, she began working in higher education. She has worked as an educator, academic mentor, researcher, consultant, and held multiple leadership positions. She established the Center for Professional Academic Consulting, LLC, which is dedicated to supporting institutions promote academic excellence by obtaining and maintaining accreditation. In 2015, she joined Howard University to serve as an Associate Professor and now serves as the Associate Dean.

Email:patricia.talbert@howard.edu