Recommended Citation
Crosh C, Luff A, Ingle M, Romain C, Okafor C, Fitzpatrick V. Assessing Disparity in Early Pediatric Care Receipt Among Multiple Midwest Clinics. Presented at Scientific Day; May 21, 2025; Park Ridge, IL.
Abstract
Background/Significance:
Disparity in early pediatric care receipt (0-15 months) can have dire consequences to the health of a baby. Routine pediatric check-ups, or well-child visits (WCV), are critical for tracking a child’s growth, development, and overall health. However, significant disparities exist in the attendance of these visits, particularly among racially and ethnically marginalized and lower socioeconomic (SES) families.
Purpose:
Currently, there is a lack of data to inform the development of strategic priorities for addressing pediatric health disparities and promoting health equity. This gap is partly due to the limited evidence regarding early pediatric-specific health indicators. Therefore, the development of evidence-based, pediatric-focused health equity indicators remains a pressing need. While disparities are recognized, documenting the full extent of the problem is challenging. Institutions must prioritize tracking progress towards health equity, which involves systematically collecting data on health indicators, setting goals, and monitoring progress.
Methods:
This is a retrospective analysis of two distinct pediatric clinical populations within Advocate Health. Pediatric patients were eligible for inclusion if they were born in 2022 and had at least one WCV within the first 15 months of life. We identified WCVs using electronic medical record data for encounters and billing. Visits were classified as WCV if they had a visit type or SNOMED CT code indicating a WCV. We identified well-child visit timepoints using the AAP Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care. All analyses were done using Stata MP version 14.
Results:
Attendance at AAP recommended well child visits ranged from 67.7% to 92.0% across all timepoints. Compared to non-Hispanic white patients, non-Hispanic Black patients had 38% lower odds of having 6 or more well child visits. There were no significant differences in well child visits attendance at 1 week and 1 month. However, these diverged at 2 months with lower SES and predominantly Black sites having significantly lower odds of visit attendance at a majority of the remaining recommended visit timepoints. Patients at sites with lower SES had 43% reduced odds of having at least 6 WCVs in their first 15 months of life compared to higher income and majority White sites.
Conclusion:
This project compares two distinct pediatric populations within one system to quantify the observation that parents/guardians of non-Hispanic Black children aged 0-1 were less likely to adhere to recommended guidelines.
Presentation Notes
Presented at Scientific Day; May 21, 2025; Park Ridge, IL.
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Document Type
Poster
Assessing Disparity in Early Pediatric Care Receipt Among Multiple Midwest Clinics
Background/Significance:
Disparity in early pediatric care receipt (0-15 months) can have dire consequences to the health of a baby. Routine pediatric check-ups, or well-child visits (WCV), are critical for tracking a child’s growth, development, and overall health. However, significant disparities exist in the attendance of these visits, particularly among racially and ethnically marginalized and lower socioeconomic (SES) families.
Purpose:
Currently, there is a lack of data to inform the development of strategic priorities for addressing pediatric health disparities and promoting health equity. This gap is partly due to the limited evidence regarding early pediatric-specific health indicators. Therefore, the development of evidence-based, pediatric-focused health equity indicators remains a pressing need. While disparities are recognized, documenting the full extent of the problem is challenging. Institutions must prioritize tracking progress towards health equity, which involves systematically collecting data on health indicators, setting goals, and monitoring progress.
Methods:
This is a retrospective analysis of two distinct pediatric clinical populations within Advocate Health. Pediatric patients were eligible for inclusion if they were born in 2022 and had at least one WCV within the first 15 months of life. We identified WCVs using electronic medical record data for encounters and billing. Visits were classified as WCV if they had a visit type or SNOMED CT code indicating a WCV. We identified well-child visit timepoints using the AAP Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care. All analyses were done using Stata MP version 14.
Results:
Attendance at AAP recommended well child visits ranged from 67.7% to 92.0% across all timepoints. Compared to non-Hispanic white patients, non-Hispanic Black patients had 38% lower odds of having 6 or more well child visits. There were no significant differences in well child visits attendance at 1 week and 1 month. However, these diverged at 2 months with lower SES and predominantly Black sites having significantly lower odds of visit attendance at a majority of the remaining recommended visit timepoints. Patients at sites with lower SES had 43% reduced odds of having at least 6 WCVs in their first 15 months of life compared to higher income and majority White sites.
Conclusion:
This project compares two distinct pediatric populations within one system to quantify the observation that parents/guardians of non-Hispanic Black children aged 0-1 were less likely to adhere to recommended guidelines.
Affiliations
Advocate Children’s Hospital, Advocate Aurora Research Institute