3-130 - Unequal Starts: Contributions to health disparities in early childhood

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Early experiences are hugely important for children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Unfortunately, not all children have the same opportunities for positive and supportive experiences. Instead, some children encounter more negative and potentially detrimental events that increase their risk for later health problems. Although a growing body of research is documenting some of these sources of health disparities in childhood, much more research is needed. To help expand our understanding of the risks and resources for young children, especially those from low-income and racially and ethnically diverse families, this symposium utilizes a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore sources of health disparities in early childhood. The first paper examines the relationship between maternal non-standard work schedules and preschoolers’ health status, sleep, and body mass index (BMI), key health components for school readiness. The second paper presents findings from a mixed method, bilingual study of preschoolers’ experiences at the dentists and the ways in which those from families with low-incomes and few English skills often experience poor quality, if not traumatic, oral health care. The third paper demonstrates how adverse child events impact children’s general health, asthma and sleep problems. Importantly, this paper illustrates how different risk profiles for ethnic minority or majority groups are associated with different health patterns. These three presentations will then be followed by expert and audience discussion. Together, this session sheds light on how income, language skills, non-standard work hours, and adverse child events contribute to disparities in young children’s health and well-being.

Sub Unit

• Health, Growth, Injury

Chair

• Stephanie M Reich, University of California, Irvine

Discussant

• Neal Halfon, UCLA

Individual Presentations

• Maternal work schedules and young children’s physical well-being - Presenting Author: Nina Smith, North Carolina Central University; Danielle Crosby, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• The Pain of Poverty and Poor English Skills in the Dental Chair: Pediatric Oral Health Disparities - Presenting Author: Stephanie M Reich, University of California, Irvine; Wendy Ochoa, University of California, Irvine; Amy Doreen Gaona, University of California, Irvine; Yesenia Salcedo, University of California, Irvine; Georgina Espino, University of California, Irvine; Veronica Ahumada Newhart, University of California, Irvine; Wendy Garrard, University of California Irvine

• Racial/ethnic disparities in exposure to adverse childhood events and their relation to child health - Presenting Author: Francis A. Lori, Pennsylvania State University