Association of Maternal Nativity Status and Race/Ethnicity on Emergency Department Utilization Among Children in Vulnerable Families

Objectives We aimed to determine the role of mothers' nativity and race/ethnicity on their children's emergency department utilization. Methods Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study was used for the analyses. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to compare use of ED services between children of foreign-born versus US-born mothers within different racial groups. Results The sample in this analysis contained 3426 mother-child pairs, of which 14.2% were foreign-born mothers. Adjusting for mother's race, education, and marital status, child's insurance coverage, and caregiver's perception of child's health, children of foreign-born mothers were less likely to use ED services compared with those born to US-born mothers (risk ratio [RR], 0.71 [0.54–0.94]). Emergency department utilization was lower among children of Hispanic, foreign-born mothers (RR, 0.67 [0.46–0.96]) and among children of non-Hispanic Asian or other race, foreign-born mothers (RR, 0.32 [0.14–0.74]) when compared with children of their US-born counterparts in the respective race. Conclusions Maternal nativity status and race influence child's use of emergency department services. Future research should explore the intersection of parental nativity, immigrant documentation status, and citizenship status and how that may influence children's health care usage.