Health behaviors, service utilization, and access to care among older mothers of color who have children with developmental disabilities.
Older Latina and Black American moms of kids with developmental disabilities face worse healthcare access—screen caregiver health at intake and link to ethnicity-specific supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Magaña et al. (2008) looked at 2,000 Latina and Black American moms over age 50. All were raising a child with a developmental disability. The team asked how easy it was for them to see doctors, pay for care, and get check-ups.
They compared these moms to similar women who were not caregivers. Data came from a large national phone survey.
What they found
Caregiving moms had worse health care than non-caregiving peers. They skipped visits because of cost. They lacked a regular doctor. Latinas had the lowest rates of insurance. Black American moms used ERs more often.
How this fits with other research
Yamaoka et al. (2022) extends these results. They show moms of kids in special-ed schools also have higher BMI and poorer mental health. The 2022 study widens the age range and adds body-weight and mood data.
Smith et al. (2023) shifts the lens to school. Somali mothers of autistic kids feel pushed out by teachers. Both papers find ethnicity-specific barriers, but one is in clinics and the other in classrooms.
Sutton et al. (2022) moves the story to Ghana. Parents there name five unmet needs: emotional, financial, information, informal, and formal support. The same access gap shows up across continents.
Why it matters
If you serve Latina or Black American families, ask about the caregiver’s own health at intake. Link them to low-cost clinics, insurance navigators, and Spanish or culturally matched support groups. A five-minute screen can catch the cost and access issues Sandy found before they snowball.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined health behaviors, utilization, and access to care among older Latina and Black American mothers who co-reside with a child with developmental disabilities. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey National Center for Health Statistics (2005a), we compared Latina and Black American caregivers to similar women who did not have caregiving responsibilities. Findings showed that Latina caregivers were more likely to smoke and have insurance; Black American caregivers were less likely to be able to afford medication and mental health care; and both groups were less likely to have seen a doctor in the past year than their noncaregiving counterparts. Findings suggest that service providers should consider developing programs that focus on health for caregivers of color. Furthermore, results suggest that providers should take into account differing trends across ethnicities when designing programs.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2008 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556(2008)46[267:HBSUAA]2.0.CO;2