Examining behaviors of parents using emergency department visits for children with asthma

This correlational cross-sectional research employed a logistic regression analysis to answer the question of whether four predictor variables used in the study are associated with the behaviors of parents who use emergency department visits for children with asthma. A purposive sampling frame was used to recruit male and female parents that were 19 years of age and older, whereas n = 85. This research targeted parents and caregivers because previous studies indicated that urgent and non-urgent emergency department visits for children with asthma contributed to the rising use and cost of healthcare. Using four previously validated instruments, including three Likert-type instruments and a literacy instrument consisting of 11 words to collect data, this research attempted to determine if any of the predictor variables were associated with the dichotomous outcome variable. It was hypothesized that parental behaviors including anxiety, literacy, self-efficacy of asthma management, and perceived barriers to managing asthma are associated with emergency department visits for children who have asthma.