Hear My Voice: An African American Mother's Experience Raising a Child with a Chronic Illness.

Introduction African American children with asthma exhibit earlier disease onset and have higher morbidity and mortality rates than European American children (Centers for Disease Control webpage; Mannino et al. 1-13; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services webpage). Increased morbidity rates cited in the empirical literature suggest that morbidity is influenced by factors that include: 1) lack of medical continuity in asthma care and management; 2) medication regimens that do not follow current National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute (NHBLI) guidelines for asthma management; 3) exposure to indoor allergens; and 4) lack of follow-through with prescribed treatment plans (Kattan et al. 253-262). Children from African American and Latino families are disproportionately affected by chronic illness (Centers for Disease Control webpage; Mannino et al. 1-13; National Center for Health Statistics webpage; Stein 119-124). The higher numbers of African American children with chronic illness coupled with lack of access to quality healthcare create incredible healthcare disparities for the treatment of asthma (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services webpage).