Factors Related to Receipt of Well-Child Visits in Insured Children

• Published in: Maternal and child health journal Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 744 - 754
• Main Authors: Goedken, Amber M., Urmie, Julie M., Polgreen, Linnea A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-04-2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Cross-Sectional Studies; Databases, Factual; Drug stores; Expenditures; Families & family life; Gynecology; Health aspects; Health insurance; Health services; Households; Humans; Immunization; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Insurance Coverage; Insurance, Health; Maternal and Child Health; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Odds Ratio; Parents & parenting; Patient Compliance; Pediatrics; Population Economics; Preventive medicine; Primary Health Care - utilization; Public Health; Retrospective Studies; Sociology; Surveys; Teenagers; Uninsured people; United States; United States; United States > US; Iowa City Iowa; Utilization; National surveys; Parents; Child health; Preventive health services
• ISSN: 1092-7875; 1573-6628
• DOI: 10.1007/s10995-013-1301-2

Our objective was to identify factors related to receipt of the recommended number of well-child visits in insured children. We hypothesized parent insurance status would be related to receipt of well-child visits, with those with uninsured parents more likely to have fewer visits than recommended. Data for the study came from the 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component. The sample included children <18 years of age with full-year insurance coverage and parents who were insured or uninsured the entire year. The outcome variable indicated whether children had received fewer than the recommended number of well-child visits in physician offices or outpatient departments. Parent, family, and child characteristics were measured. Forty-eight percent of the 4,650 children included in the study had fewer well-child visits than recommended. Children whose parents did not visit a physician during the year and children whose parents had not completed high school were more likely to miss recommended visits. Parent insurance status did not affect well-child visits. We identified child, family, and parent factors influencing well-child visits in insured children, including the parent’s own use of physician visits. Contrary to our hypothesis, well-child visits were not influenced by parent insurance status. Determining which insured children are at greater risk of missing recommended well-child visits aids policymakers in identifying those who may benefit from interventions to improve use of preventive care.