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Primary pediatric care. A comparison of use by adolescent and older mothers
Insights
Pediatric care for infants of adolescent mothers shows similar acute care but lower well-child visits. Group practices and monitoring can improve adolescent mothers' infant healthcare access and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Maternal and Child Health
- Healthcare Services Research
Background:
- Adolescent mothers often face unique challenges in accessing and utilizing pediatric healthcare services.
- Understanding patterns of care utilization is crucial for improving infant health outcomes in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pediatric service utilization in the first year of life between infants of adolescent mothers and infants of older mothers.
- To identify factors influencing healthcare access and quality for infants of adolescent mothers.
Main Methods:
- A comparative survey design was employed.
- Infants born to mothers under 17 were compared with a random sample of infants born to older mothers at the same hospital.
- Patterns of acute care, well-child visits, and immunizations were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed similar acute care utilization; however, adolescent mothers had fewer well-child visits and immunizations.
- Group practice with provider continuity increased well-child visits and immunizations for adolescent mothers' infants.
- Late prenatal care entry by adolescent mothers correlated with increased emergency room use and inadequate well-child care.
- Having a sibling was linked to inadequate well-child care for adolescent mothers' infants but improved care for older mothers' infants.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent mothers' infants require targeted interventions to improve well-child care and immunization rates.
- Group practices and continuous provider relationships can enhance healthcare delivery for adolescent mothers.
- Close monitoring of adolescent mothers, especially those with multiple children, is recommended to optimize infant medical care quality.
Abstract:
This survey compares the use of pediatric services during the first year of life by infants whose mothers were under 17 years of age with a random sample of babies born during the same period and at the same hospital but to older mothers. Both sets of mothers were found to have similar patterns of acute and well-child care. For adolescent mothers, use of a group practice emphasizing provider continuity significantly increased well-child visits and immunizations. The adolescent mother's late entry into prenatal care appeared to be related to a greater use of the emergency room and to inadequate well-child care. The existence of a sibling was related to inadequate well-child care for adolescents' babies but to improved levels of well-child care among older mothers' babies. These findings suggest that close monitoring of adolescent mothers with more than one child may improve the quality of medical care for their infants.