Living Arrangements and Child Health: Examining Family Structure Linkages with Children’s Health Insurance and Health Status

Kathleen M. Ziol-Guest, Cornell University

Using data from the 1999 and 2002 rounds of the National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF) on 67,336 children ages zero to 17, this paper examines the association between family structure and children’s health insurance status and health. Unlike previous research, this paper extends the analysis to include children residing in a wide range of living arrangements, including stepfamilies, with a single father, with cohabiting parents, and with custodial grandparents. Findings suggest that health insurance status and reported physical and mental health, vary depending on the family structure in which the children reside.