Authors: Amanda C Bennett Kristin M Rankin Deborah Rosenberg
Publish Date: 2012/09/14
Volume: 16, Issue: 2, Pages: 330-338
Abstract
This study extends mediation analysis techniques to explore whether and to what extent differential access to a medical home explains the black/white disparity in unmet healthcare needs among children with special healthcare needs CSHCN Data were obtained from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health with analyses limited to nonHispanic white and black CSHCN n = 14677 The counterfactual approach to mediation analysis was used to estimate odds ratios for the natural direct and indirect effects of race on unmet healthcare needs Overall 430 of white CSHCN and 604 of black CSHCN did not have a medical home Additionally 88 of white CSHCN and 153 of black CSHCN had unmet healthcare needs The natural indirect effect indicates that the odds of unmet needs among black CSHCN are elevated by approximately 20 as a result of their current level of access to the medical home rather than access at a level equal to white CSHCN ORNIE = 12 95 CI = 11 13 The natural direct effect indicates that even if black CSHCN had the same level of access to a medical home as white CSHCN blacks would still have 60 higher odds of unmet healthcare needs than whites ORNDE = 16 95 CI = 11 24 The racial disparity in unmet healthcare needs among CSHCN is only partially explained by disparities in having a medical home Ensuring all CSHCN have equal access to a medical home may reduce the racial disparity in unmet needs but will not completely eliminate it
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