A new research has suggested that disadvantaged, unhealthy mothers are much more likely to have sickly children than disadvantaged moms who are relatively healthy-and this is not only due to genetics.
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"Mothers who experience frequent or serious health problems may have a harder time monitoring their children or performing day-to-day caretaking tasks, including taking their children to regular medical checkups," said study co-author Jessica Halliday Hardie.
"Maternal health problems can also place emotional and material burdens on children and heighten their stress and anxiety. Finally, to care for herself, an unhealthy mother may have to use financial resources that could otherwise benefit her children," added Hardie.
Children of disadvantaged, unhealthy mothers also fare worse than children of disadvantaged, healthy mothers on other indicators of well-being.
They have significantly higher odds of having asthma and a learning disability, and are more likely to go to the emergency room.
"Skeptics may jump to the conclusion that genetics alone are responsible for the health disparities among these groups," Hardie said.
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The new research will be presented at the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.
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