Attendance patterns in well-child visits across diverse pediatric populations, midwestern United States

Authors

Amanda Luff, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Carmelle Romain, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Marybeth Ingle, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Clare Crosh, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Chinelo Okafor, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Yena Woo, University of Chicago School of Medicine, 924 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, United States of America.
Trenton Lam, University of Chicago School of Medicine, 924 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, United States of America.
Vivianna Camarillo Guenther, University of Chicago School of Medicine, 924 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, United States of America.
Veronica Fitzpatrick, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow

Recommended Citation

Luff A, Romain C, Ingle M, et al. Attendance patterns in well-child visits across diverse pediatric populations, Midwestern United States. Prev Med Rep. 2025;54:103082. Published 2025 Apr 22. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103082

Affiliations

Advocate Health Oak Brook Support Center, Advocate Children's Hospital Oak Lawn

Abstract

Objective:Routine well-child visits (WCVs) are essential for monitoring child health; however, substantial differences exist in attendance, particularly among non-Hispanic Black families. We quantified these disparities within a single healthcare system, comparing two distinct pediatric practice groups: one serving primarily non-Hispanic Black and one serving primarily non-Hispanic white children.

Method:This retrospective analysis included patients born in 2022 with at least one WCV in their first 15 months of life using electronic medical records from a healthcare system in the Chicago area. We assessed WCVs against American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, using Pearson's chi-squared tests to compare attendance rates and logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for factors associated with attending 6 or more WCVs.

Results:Among 2567 eligible patients, 51.7 % were from Site 1 (predominantly non-Hispanic Black) and 48.3 % were from Site 2 (predominantly non-Hispanic white). Among Site 1 patients, 83.3 % attended six or more WCVs compared to 91.6 % from Site 2 ( p < 0.001), with lower attendance at Site 1 observed starting at 2 months (aOR 0.55, 95 % CI 0.38, 0.80). Across all patients, patients with Medicaid insurance had 61 % lower odds of attending 6+ WCVs compared to commercially insured patients (aOR 0.39, 95 % CI 0.26, 0.58).

Conclusion:These findings highlight critical differences in WCV attendance among children within the same healthcare system. Lower at the site serving primarily non-Hispanic Black children may be attributable to barriers to healthcare access, including socioeconomic challenges and implicit bias in healthcare delivery.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

40336600