Published online February 1, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 2 February 2005, pp. e183-e193 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1474)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Flores, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tomany-Korman, S. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Flores, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tomany-Korman, S. C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Early Childhood Health and Health Care

Glenn Flores, MD*,{ddagger},§, Lynn Olson, PhD|| and Sandra C. Tomany-Korman, MS*

* Center for the Advancement of Underserved Children, Department of Pediatrics
{ddagger} Health Policy Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
§ Children's Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|| Department of Practice and Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Background. Racial/ethnic disparities in health care have received much national attention recently, but few studies have focused on disparities among children. We studied disparities in early childhood health and health care.

Methods. We analyzed data for 2608 children, 4 to 35 months of age, from the 2000 National Survey of Early Childhood Health, a nationwide household survey. The overall response rate was 65.6%. Survey questions addressed health, health care, and interactions with health care providers.

Results. Hispanic and black children were significantly less likely than whites to be in excellent/very good health (72%, 79%, and 90%, respectively) and were more likely to be uninsured (31%, 18%, and 9%, respectively). Only 60% of Hispanic and 77% of black parents would recommend their child's provider to others, compared with 84% of white parents. Minority parents more often reported that providers never or only sometimes understood their child-rearing preferences, and Hispanic parents most often reported that providers never or only sometimes understood their child's needs. Minority parents more often were asked about violence, smoking, drinking, and drug use. Hispanic and black parents averaged significantly fewer telephone calls to doctors' offices than did whites (2.0, 3.1, and 4.3 calls, respectively). Providers significantly less often referred Hispanic and black children to specialists (11% and 17%, respectively, compared with 22% for whites). Most disparities persisted in multivariate analyses, and several disparities were found between children with parents who completed surveys in Spanish and those with parents who completed surveys in English.

Conclusion. Young minority children experience multiple disparities in health status, insurance coverage, topics discussed during pediatric visits, parents feeling understood by providers, parental satisfaction, and referrals to specialists.

Key Words: disparities • minorities • children • race • ethnicity • blacks • Hispanics

Abbreviations: NSECH, National Survey of Early Childhood Health • OR, odds ratio • CI, confidence interval • ED, emergency department

Accepted Sep 16, 2004.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. J. Hambidge, C. B. Emsermann, S. Federico, and J. F. Steiner
Disparities in Pediatric Preventive Care in the United States, 1993-2002
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, January 1, 2007; 161(1): 30 - 36.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Board Fam MedHome page
D. J. Madlon-Kay and S. E. Asche
Factors That Influence the Receipt of Well Baby Care in the First 2 Weeks of Life.
J Am Board Fam Med, May 1, 2006; 19(3): 258 - 264.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]