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National rates of diarrhea-associated ambulatory visits in children

Stephen J Pont1, Carlos G Grijalva, Marie R Griffin

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch-Austin Programs, Austin, TX, USA.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|April 28, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Diarrhea and rotavirus caused significant healthcare visits before the vaccine. Rates remained stable, but racial disparities in outpatient and emergency department use were observed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Diarrhea and rotavirus infections are major causes of childhood illness.
  • Understanding pre-vaccine healthcare utilization is crucial for evaluating vaccine impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate national ambulatory healthcare visit rates for diarrhea and rotavirus in children under 5 before 2006.
  • To identify demographic and temporal trends in these visits.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and US Census Bureau (1995-2004).
  • Calculated annual visit rates per 10,000 person-years.
  • Employed Poisson regression to compare rates by age, race, and time period.

Main Results:

  • Annual outpatient and emergency department visit rates were 955 and 314 per 10,000 person-years, respectively.
  • Rates remained stable between 1995-2004.
  • African Americans had fewer outpatient visits but more emergency department visits compared to Caucasians (P < .05).
  • Rotavirus accounted for approximately 29% of outpatient and 25% of ED visits for diarrhea.

Conclusions:

  • Diarrhea and rotavirus impose a substantial burden on healthcare systems.
  • Significant racial disparities exist in healthcare utilization for these conditions.
  • Further research is needed to understand these disparities and the impact of rotavirus vaccination.
Abstract

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