Asthma prevalence and morbidity are disproportionately higher among youth with lower socioeconomic status (SES).

A new study published in Health Psychology examined the subjective social status (SSS) of pediatric populations, with the aim to improve the understanding of associations between SES and health outcomes in asthma.

This study included 50 adolescents with asthma, of the mean age 13.2 years, of which 54% were males and 55.1% were African-Americans.Participants completed the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status-Youth Version, Daily Life Stressors Scale, Childrens Depression Inventory-Short Form, Adolescent Sleep-Wake Scale-short versionand Asthma Control Test, during the baseline visit of a study of health behaviors. Body mass index z scores (BMIz) were calculated using height and weight obtained during the visits.

The results revealed that caregiver-reported objective SES was not associated with adolescent SSS. Whereas, SSS-society was associated with daily stress, asthma control,BMIz and sleep quality. Additionally, SSS-community was associated with daily stress and sleep quality. Meanwhile, SSS was not associated with depressive symptoms.

The findings indicated that adolescents SSS may not always reflect the caregivers objective SES. While perceived social status may play a role in the experience of daily stress, asthma control, BMIz, and sleep quality among adolescents with asthma. Therefore, it was inferred that SSS may offer a novel means of assessing health disparities in pediatric asthma.