Family income loss and child health inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between family income loss and child health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data for the analysis were obtained from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of babies born in 2005, and 18, 024 caregivers participated in the survey as their children aged 15. In analysis, we first conducted descriptive analyses to test the correlation between socioeconomic variables and family income loss. We next assessed whether there was a gradient relationship between family income loss and child health using Cochran-Armitage trend test. Finally, multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between family income loss and child health. Results: Our findings indicated that (1) lower socioeconomic families were at a greater risk of suffering income loss during COVID-19;(2) children in the families experiencing a more severe loss of income had worse health, but the gradient relationship was not significant for those in higher income families;and (3) significantly higher risk of fair/poor health of children was found in the severe (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5) and mild (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3) income loss groups than in the no income loss group after adjustment for socioeconomic variables. Conclusions: Family income loss due to COVID-19 was significantly associated with child health inequality. To avoid widening the health gap, children in families experiencing financial impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic should be protected and supported, particularly those in lower socioeconomic groups. © 2022 Chinese Public Health Association of Taiwan. All rights reserved.