on behalf of the H2O Study Group abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Transitions from the hospital to home can be difficult for patients and families. Family-informed characterization of this vulnerable period may facilitate the identification of interventions to improve transitions home. Our objective was to develop a comprehensive understanding of hospital-to-home transitions from the family perspective.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Health care reform offers a new opportunity to address child health disparities. This study sought to characterize racial differences in pediatric asthma readmissions with a focus on the potential explanatory role of hardships that might be addressed in future patient care models. METHODS: We enrolled 774 children, aged 1 to 16 years, admitted for asthma or bronchodilator-responsive wheezing in a population-based prospective observational cohort. The outcome was time to readmission. Child race, socioeconomic status (measured by lower income and caregiver educational attainment), and hardship (caregivers looking for work, having no one to borrow money from, not owning a car or home, and being single/never married) were recorded. Analyses used Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS: The cohort was 57% African American, 33% white, and 10% multiracial/other; 19% were readmitted within 12 months. After adjustment for asthma severity classification, African Americans were twice as likely to be readmitted as whites (hazard ratio: 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.42 to 2.77). Compared with whites, African American caregivers were significantly more likely to report lower income and educational attainment, difficulty finding work, having no one to borrow money from, not owning a car or home, and being single/never married (all P ≤ .01). Hardships explained 41% of the observed racial disparity in readmission; jointly, socioeconomic status and hardship explained 49%. CONCLUSIONS: African American children were twice as likely to be readmitted as white children; hardships explained >40% of this disparity. Additional factors (eg, pollution, tobacco exposure, housing quality) may explain residual disparities. Targeted interventions could help achieve greater child health equity.

Objectives To characterize variation and inequalities in neighborhood child asthma admission rates and to identify associated community factors within one US county. Study design This population-based prospective, observational cohort study consisted of 862 sequential child asthma admissions among 167 653 eligible children ages 1-16 years in Hamilton County, Ohio. Admissions occurred at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital and accounted for nearly 95% of in-county asthma admissions. Neighborhood admission rates were assessed by geocoding addresses to city- and county-defined neighborhoods. The 2010 US Census provided denominator data. Neighborhood admission distribution inequality was assessed by the use of Gini and Robin Hood indices. Associations between neighborhood rates and socioeconomic and environmental factors were assessed using ANOVA and linear regression. Results The county admission rate was 5.1 per 1000 children. Neighborhood rates varied significantly by quintile: 17.6, 7.7, 4.9, 2.2, and 0.2 admissions per 1000 children (P < .0001). Fifteen neighborhoods containing 8% of the population had zero admissions. The Gini index of 0.52 and Robin Hood index of 0.38 indicated significant inequality. Neighborhood-level educational attainment, car access, and population density best explained variation in neighborhood admission rates (R2 = 0.55). Conclusion In a single year, asthma admission rates varied 88-fold across neighborhood quintiles in one county; a reduction of the county-wide admission rate to that of the bottom quintile would decrease annual admissions from 862 to 34. A rate of zero was present in 15 neighborhoods, which is evidence of what may be attainable.

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Serum and salivary cotinine have previously been identified as reliable biomarkers for exposure to tobacco smoke. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:We found that detectable serum and salivary cotinine is common among children admitted for asthma and is associated with readmission. This finding may inform clinical care for children at increased risk of asthma morbidity. abstract OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between tobacco smoke exposure (reported versus biomarker) and rates of readmission for children hospitalized for asthma. METHODS:We enrolled a prospective cohort of 774 children aged 1 to 16 years admitted for asthma or bronchodilator-responsive wheezing. The primary outcome was at least 1 asthma-or wheeze-related readmission within 1 year. Caregivers reported any tobacco exposure at home, in a secondary residence, or in the car. We measured serum and saliva cotinine levels with mass spectrometry. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations between tobacco exposure and readmissions.RESULTS: A total of 619 children had complete tobacco exposure data; 57% were African American and 76% had Medicaid. Seventeen percent of children were readmitted within 1 year. Tobacco exposure rates were 35.1%, 56.1%, and 79.6% by report, serum, and saliva measures, respectively. Caregiver report of any tobacco exposure was not associated with readmission (adjusted odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 0.79-1.89), but having detectable serum or salivary cotinine was associated with increased odds of readmission (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.59 [1.02-2.48] and 2.35 [1.22-4.55], respectively). Among children whose caregivers reported no tobacco exposure, 39.1% had detectable serum cotinine and 69.9% had detectable salivary cotinine. Of the children with reported exposure, 87.6% had detectable serum cotinine and 97.7% had detectable salivary cotinine.CONCLUSIONS: Detectable serum and salivary cotinine levels were common among children admitted for asthma and were associated with readmission, whereas caregiver report of tobacco exposure was not. Pediatrics 2014;133:e355-e362

Objective To examine the association between exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and hospital readmission for asthma or bronchodilator-responsive wheezing. Study design A population-based cohort of 758 children ages 1–16 years, admitted for asthma or bronchodilator-responsive wheezing was assessed for asthma readmission within 12 months. TRAP exposure was estimated using a land use regression model using the home address at index admission; TRAP was dichotomized at the sample median (0.37 μg/m3). Covariates included allergen-specific IgE, tobacco smoke exposure, and social factors obtained at enrollment. Associations between TRAP exposure and readmission were assessed using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards. Results Study participants were 58% were African American (AA), 32% white; 19% were readmitted within 12 months. Children with higher TRAP exposure were readmitted at a higher rate overall (21% v. 16%, p = 0.05); this association was not significant after adjusting for covariates (adjusted OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.9–2.2). Race modified the observed association: white children with high TRAP exposure had three-fold increased odds of asthma readmission (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1–8.1), compared with low exposed whites. TRAP exposure among AA children was not associated with increased readmission (OR.1.1; 95% CI 0.6–1.8). TRAP exposure was associated with decreased time to readmission for high TRAP-exposed white children (HR 3.2; 95% CI 1.5–6.7) vs. AA children (HR 1.0; 95% CI 0.7–1.4); AA children had a higher readmission rate overall. Conclusions TRAP exposure is associated with increased odds of readmission in white children; this relationship was not observed in AA children.