We used the [2005][2006] National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs to compare 3 types of outcomes between children with and those without parental reported muscular dystrophy: (1) functional limitations; (2) health care experiences in terms of the 5 components of a medical home; and (3) family impacts, including financial or out-of-pocket costs and parental employment and time use. We used weighted logistic regression to examine their associations with muscular dystrophy after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics. Among children with special health care needs, children with reported muscular dystrophy were much more likely to have difficulties with ambulation and self-care. They were more likely to have family members who reported financial problems, reduced or stopped employment, and spent more than 10 hours weekly providing or coordinating care. Muscular dystrophy was not associated with the likelihood of having a medical home after adjustment for socioeconomic status and other socio-demographic characteristics.Keywords muscular dystrophy; National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs; medical home; family impact; Duchenne; Emery-DreifussThe muscular dystrophies are a diverse group of genetic disorders characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness. They vary with regard to the gene involved, Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Corresponding Author: Lijing Ouyang, PhD, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mail Stop E-88, Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, louyang@cdc.gov.
Authors' ContributionsLijing Ouyang, Scott Grosse, Michael Fox, and Julie Bolen contributed to the study design, interpretation of the data and the results, and critical review and revision of the manuscript. Lijing Ouyang analyzed the data. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.
Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical ApprovalNot applicable, analysis of public use data.
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Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript population of children with special health care needs 0-17 years of age. Screener weight is on the screener file and is used to produce estimates that are representative of children nationally. The weighted overall response rate for special needs interviews was 56.1%. Details of the survey methods are described elsewhere. 5
Description of VariablesChildren with special health care needs with muscular dystrophy were identified on the basis of the question, "To the best of your knowledge, does your child currently have muscular dystrophy?" Possible answers include yes, no, don't know, or refused. No questions about the specific form of muscular dystrophy were included in the survey. We use 3 variables to measure functional ability, including whether the surveyed child, relative to other children of their age, experienced any difficulty with coordination or moving a...