University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

Download PDF
Publication #FAR0089

 

Children's Health Impact on Family1

Donna Davis2

Figure 1. 
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

While parenting most often comes with unbelievable rewards, it also generates its fair share of challenges. One of those challenges can be our children's health. In a recent study, the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau reported that children's health problems can have dramatic impacts on family functioning.

According to the survey results, when parents of children with asthma or emotional or behavioral difficulties were asked about the degree of "burden" their child's health condition created for the family, 16.3% of the parents of children with asthma reported a great deal or a medium amount of impact on their family. Twenty-eight percent of the parents with children who experienced emotional and behavioral difficulties reported a great deal or medium impact on family life (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2005).

For families with incomes below poverty, the impact of children's health problems can be even greater. For these families, there may be financial losses, and it can also leave these parents vulnerable to losing their jobs when they have to tend to a sick child at home. Children in poor families were also twice as likely as those in higher-income families to have emotional and behavioral difficulties. There may be some relief, however, in knowing that among children with asthma the impacts on families decline as the children get older. However, while it may get easier for parents with children with asthma, the study reveals that the challenges get greater for families with children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, regardless of the income (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2005).

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/462.mp3

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/462.wav

References

United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Impact of a child's health problems on the family. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/thechild/1child/1status/03impacthp.htm.

Williams, J. (2006). One sick child away from being fired: When "opting out" is not an option. San Francisco: Center for Work Life Law, University of California Hastings College of Law.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR0089, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 462. Published March 2009. Revised March 2009. Revised March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, senior producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.