Table 1.
Demographic characteristic of families of children with chronic illness and families of healthy children.
| Variable | Families of children with chronic illness (n = 236) Mean ± SD, (N) % | Families of healthy children (n = 98)Mean ± SD, (N) % | t/χ2 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Age | 37.48 ± 6.576 | 36.78 ± 7.441 | −0.856Δ | 0.393 |
| Parent gender | ||||
| Male | 25% (59) | 24.5% (24) | 0.01 | 0.922 |
| Female | 75% (177) | 75.5% (74) | ||
| Parent occupational status | ||||
| Employed | 59.3% (140) | 70.4% (69) | 3.634 | 0.057 |
| Unemployed | 40.7% (96) | 29.6% (29) | ||
| Parent education level | ||||
| Middle School and below | 53.8% (127) | 32.7% (32) | 21.539 | 0.000 |
| High School/secondary school | 19.5% (46) | 14.3% (14) | ||
| College or higher | 26.7% (63) | 53.0% (52) | ||
| Monthly household income | ||||
| <3000RMB | 17.4% (41) | 12.2% (12) | 15.587 | 0.001 |
| 3000–5000RMB | 28.0% (66) | 14.3% (14) | ||
| 5001–8000RMB | 25.8% (61) | 23.5% (23) | ||
| >8000RMB | 28.8% (68) | 50% (49) | ||
| The number of children | ||||
| one | 29.7% (70) | 48% (47) | 10.187 | 0.001 |
| two or more | 70.3% (166) | 52% (51) | ||
| Child Age | ||||
| 3–6 year | 34.3% (81) | 45.9% (45) | 5.828 | 0.054 |
| 7–12 year | 49.6% (117) | 45.9% (45) | ||
| 13–16 year | 16.1% (38) | 8.2% (8) | ||
| Child gender | ||||
| Male | 62.7% (148) | 50% (49) | 4.625 | 0.032 |
| Female | 37.3% (88) | 50% (49) | ||
| Types of chronic illness | ||||
| Endocrine system (Type 1 diabetes mellitus/Growth hormone deficits) |
15.7% (37) | – | – | – |
| Nervous system(Cerebral palsy/Multiple sclerosis) | 5% (12) | – | ||
| Rheumatic system (Juvenile idiopathic arthritis/Allergic purpura/Systemic lupus erythematosus/Kawasaki disease) | 29.2% (69) | – | ||
| Cardiovascular system (Congenital heart disease) |
6.8% (16) | – | ||
| Chronic kidney disease | 22.5% (53) | – | ||
| Cancer (Leukemia/Malignancies) |
10.6% (25) | – | ||
| Others | 10.2% (24) | – | ||
| Sources of medical expenses | ||||
| Self-paying | 44.1% (104) | 38.8% (38) | 0.794 | 0.373 |
| Medicare | 55.9% (132) | 61.2% (60) |
SD, standard deviation;
Δ
, t value.