Attendance patterns in well-child visits across diverse pediatric populations, midwestern United States
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
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
Affiliations
Advocate Health Oak Brook Support Center, Advocate Children's Hospital Oak Lawn