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Study Finds Racial Gaps in Military Pediatric Asthma Care
TOPLINE:
Among pediatric beneficiaries in the Military Health System (MHS), racial and ethnic disparities in asthma care persisted, with Black children having the highest odds of an asthma diagnosis and emergency department (ED) visit among all racial and ethnic groups.
METHODOLOGY:
- This cross-sectional study examined racial and ethnic differences in asthma prevalence and related outcomes among pediatric beneficiaries in the MHS.
- They included 950,896 dependents aged 2-17 years (50.9% boys) who had ≥ 1 inpatient or outpatient encounter during fiscal year 2023.
- Race and ethnicity were self-reported by the beneficiary and derived from the sponsor’s demographic records.
- An asthma diagnosis required at least one inpatient claim or two outpatient claims with an asthma diagnostic code recorded in the primary or secondary diagnosis field.
- Asthma-related outcomes assessed were potentially avoidable hospitalizations, ED visits, specialist visits, and asthma-related prescriptions.
TAKEAWAY:
- Overall, 3.3% of children had an asthma diagnosis; the prevalence was higher among children aged 5-10 or 11-17 years, boys, and those with 1 or 2 siblings.
- The odds of an asthma diagnosis were significantly higher in all racial and ethnic groups than in White children, and were highest in Black children, who had 85% higher odds across all ages (P < .001).
- Similarly, Black children were 39% more likely than White children to have an asthma-related ED visit; Hispanic children were 36% more likely and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children were 25% more likely (P < .05 for all comparisons).
- Black children also had slightly higher odds of an asthma-related specialist visit than White children, and both Black and Hispanic children were more likely to receive any asthma prescription.
IN PRACTICE:
These results highlighted how access to low-cost or no-cost care, consistent insurance coverage, and effective prescription practices within the MHS may have helped to improve asthma outcomes. Still, the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities pointed to the need for further action. Efforts to close these gaps should include expanding access to culturally responsive care, increasing availability of specialists, and continuing to assess and improve how care is delivered across the system,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Felicia Yeboah Denteh, DrPH, MHA, Center for Health Services Research, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. It was published online on January 26, 2026, in JAMA Network Open.
LIMITATIONS:
This study used the sponsor’s race and ethnicity as proxies for children’s race and ethnicity, which could have misclassified multiracial children, adopted children, and wards. It also relied on coding in secondary data and did not include factors such as BMI, pollution, and family history.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was funded by the Department of War, Defense Health Agency. The authors did not report any conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
Among pediatric beneficiaries in the Military Health System (MHS), racial and ethnic disparities in asthma care persisted, with Black children having the highest odds of an asthma diagnosis and emergency department (ED) visit among all racial and ethnic groups.
METHODOLOGY:
- This cross-sectional study examined racial and ethnic differences in asthma prevalence and related outcomes among pediatric beneficiaries in the MHS.
- They included 950,896 dependents aged 2-17 years (50.9% boys) who had ≥ 1 inpatient or outpatient encounter during fiscal year 2023.
- Race and ethnicity were self-reported by the beneficiary and derived from the sponsor’s demographic records.
- An asthma diagnosis required at least one inpatient claim or two outpatient claims with an asthma diagnostic code recorded in the primary or secondary diagnosis field.
- Asthma-related outcomes assessed were potentially avoidable hospitalizations, ED visits, specialist visits, and asthma-related prescriptions.
TAKEAWAY:
- Overall, 3.3% of children had an asthma diagnosis; the prevalence was higher among children aged 5-10 or 11-17 years, boys, and those with 1 or 2 siblings.
- The odds of an asthma diagnosis were significantly higher in all racial and ethnic groups than in White children, and were highest in Black children, who had 85% higher odds across all ages (P < .001).
- Similarly, Black children were 39% more likely than White children to have an asthma-related ED visit; Hispanic children were 36% more likely and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children were 25% more likely (P < .05 for all comparisons).
- Black children also had slightly higher odds of an asthma-related specialist visit than White children, and both Black and Hispanic children were more likely to receive any asthma prescription.
IN PRACTICE:
These results highlighted how access to low-cost or no-cost care, consistent insurance coverage, and effective prescription practices within the MHS may have helped to improve asthma outcomes. Still, the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities pointed to the need for further action. Efforts to close these gaps should include expanding access to culturally responsive care, increasing availability of specialists, and continuing to assess and improve how care is delivered across the system,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Felicia Yeboah Denteh, DrPH, MHA, Center for Health Services Research, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. It was published online on January 26, 2026, in JAMA Network Open.
LIMITATIONS:
This study used the sponsor’s race and ethnicity as proxies for children’s race and ethnicity, which could have misclassified multiracial children, adopted children, and wards. It also relied on coding in secondary data and did not include factors such as BMI, pollution, and family history.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was funded by the Department of War, Defense Health Agency. The authors did not report any conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
Among pediatric beneficiaries in the Military Health System (MHS), racial and ethnic disparities in asthma care persisted, with Black children having the highest odds of an asthma diagnosis and emergency department (ED) visit among all racial and ethnic groups.
METHODOLOGY:
- This cross-sectional study examined racial and ethnic differences in asthma prevalence and related outcomes among pediatric beneficiaries in the MHS.
- They included 950,896 dependents aged 2-17 years (50.9% boys) who had ≥ 1 inpatient or outpatient encounter during fiscal year 2023.
- Race and ethnicity were self-reported by the beneficiary and derived from the sponsor’s demographic records.
- An asthma diagnosis required at least one inpatient claim or two outpatient claims with an asthma diagnostic code recorded in the primary or secondary diagnosis field.
- Asthma-related outcomes assessed were potentially avoidable hospitalizations, ED visits, specialist visits, and asthma-related prescriptions.
TAKEAWAY:
- Overall, 3.3% of children had an asthma diagnosis; the prevalence was higher among children aged 5-10 or 11-17 years, boys, and those with 1 or 2 siblings.
- The odds of an asthma diagnosis were significantly higher in all racial and ethnic groups than in White children, and were highest in Black children, who had 85% higher odds across all ages (P < .001).
- Similarly, Black children were 39% more likely than White children to have an asthma-related ED visit; Hispanic children were 36% more likely and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children were 25% more likely (P < .05 for all comparisons).
- Black children also had slightly higher odds of an asthma-related specialist visit than White children, and both Black and Hispanic children were more likely to receive any asthma prescription.
IN PRACTICE:
These results highlighted how access to low-cost or no-cost care, consistent insurance coverage, and effective prescription practices within the MHS may have helped to improve asthma outcomes. Still, the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities pointed to the need for further action. Efforts to close these gaps should include expanding access to culturally responsive care, increasing availability of specialists, and continuing to assess and improve how care is delivered across the system,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Felicia Yeboah Denteh, DrPH, MHA, Center for Health Services Research, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. It was published online on January 26, 2026, in JAMA Network Open.
LIMITATIONS:
This study used the sponsor’s race and ethnicity as proxies for children’s race and ethnicity, which could have misclassified multiracial children, adopted children, and wards. It also relied on coding in secondary data and did not include factors such as BMI, pollution, and family history.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was funded by the Department of War, Defense Health Agency. The authors did not report any conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Study Finds Racial Gaps in Military Pediatric Asthma Care
Study Finds Racial Gaps in Military Pediatric Asthma Care