The relationship between Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA) and asthma-related emergency department use among Medicaid-enrolled children

Abstract

Objective: Asthma is a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits. There has been much debate on the impact of direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) on healthcare. This study seeks to examine the association between DTCA expenditure and asthma-related ED use. Study design: In this study, we combined Medicaid administrative data and a national advertising data on asthma medications. The sample size consisted of 180 584 Medicaid-enrolled children between the ages of 5 and 18 years who had an asthma diagnosis. Twenty percent of the Medicaid-enrolled children in the sample had asthma-related ED visits. Results: We found that DTCA expenditure is associated with a decrease in asthma-related ED visits (OR = 0.75; CI: 0.64–0.89). However, at higher levels of DTCA expenditure, the likelihood of asthma-related ED visits increases (OR = 1.25; CI: 1.05–1.49), indicating a decreased relationship between DTCA and asthma-related ED visits. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that DTCA may be associated with improved health outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma.

• Asthma
• disparities
• DTCA
• Medicaid
• pediatrics