Black-White Differences in the Association between Maternal Early Life Adversity and Child Asthma Outcomes from the Add Health Study

Presenter Biography

Jennifer Seamans, MST, is an MPH Epidemiology student at the Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University (OHSU-PSU) School of Public Health, with interests that include the influences of structural inequalities on life course and intergenerational health, and implications for public health practice and policy. She is currently completing supervised research on racial differences in the association between maternal early life adversity and asthma in children. As a research assistant in the Oregon Prevention Research Center (PRC), she also supports evaluation and dissemination of a culturally appropriate sexual health curriculum for AI/AN teens. Prior to pursuing the MPH, Jen earned a MST in science learning and assessment, and worked for over a decade managing community-centered watershed health projects.

Institution

OHSU

Program/Major

Epidemiology

Degree

MPH

Presentation Type

Presentation

Room Location

Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 294

Start Date

4-3-2019 12:00 AM

End Date

4-3-2019 12:00 AM

Rights

© Copyright the author(s)

IN COPYRIGHT:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DISCLAIMER:

The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/30971

Abstract

Background: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with greater risk of poor health in children of exposed mothers. Structural inequalities such as race and socioeconomic status (SES) confer differential exposure to ACEs; effects in the association with child asthma are underexplored. This study tests the hypothesis that the association between maternal ACEs and child asthma is stronger in Black compared to White mothers.

Methods: This study examined 2,557 mother-child dyads from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Using log-binomial regression stratified by maternal race and child sex, asthma diagnosis in a firstborn child was modeled as a function of high maternal ACEs (binary variable using cutpoint of 3 ACEs). Analyses including interaction with child sex and maternal race were adjusted for mothers’ childhood income, education, and smoking, and accounted for complex survey design.

Results: The association between maternal ACEs and child asthma was strongest for Black mothers of female children (3-way interaction between ACEs, child sex, and race: p = 0.018); mothers in this category with high ACEs were 5.3 times as likely to report an asthma diagnosis in their children relative to similar mothers with low ACEs (95% CI: 2.22-12.69). Associations for male children born to Black mothers, and children of White mothers, were weak or absent.

Conclusions: Study findings suggest that maternal ACEs exposure elevates the risk of asthma in female children of Black mothers. Greater understanding of structural, environmental and psychosocial contributions to these differences is needed to mitigate intergenerational propagation of inequities.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Apr 3rd, 12:00 AM Apr 3rd, 12:00 AM

Black-White Differences in the Association between Maternal Early Life Adversity and Child Asthma Outcomes from the Add Health Study

Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 294

Background: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with greater risk of poor health in children of exposed mothers. Structural inequalities such as race and socioeconomic status (SES) confer differential exposure to ACEs; effects in the association with child asthma are underexplored. This study tests the hypothesis that the association between maternal ACEs and child asthma is stronger in Black compared to White mothers.

Methods: This study examined 2,557 mother-child dyads from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Using log-binomial regression stratified by maternal race and child sex, asthma diagnosis in a firstborn child was modeled as a function of high maternal ACEs (binary variable using cutpoint of 3 ACEs). Analyses including interaction with child sex and maternal race were adjusted for mothers’ childhood income, education, and smoking, and accounted for complex survey design.

Results: The association between maternal ACEs and child asthma was strongest for Black mothers of female children (3-way interaction between ACEs, child sex, and race: p = 0.018); mothers in this category with high ACEs were 5.3 times as likely to report an asthma diagnosis in their children relative to similar mothers with low ACEs (95% CI: 2.22-12.69). Associations for male children born to Black mothers, and children of White mothers, were weak or absent.

Conclusions: Study findings suggest that maternal ACEs exposure elevates the risk of asthma in female children of Black mothers. Greater understanding of structural, environmental and psychosocial contributions to these differences is needed to mitigate intergenerational propagation of inequities.