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Families on the move and children's health care
M G Fowler1, G A Simpson, K C Schoendorf
1National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Objective:
To evaluate the relationship of family moves to children's health care use.
Design:
Analyses of data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey of Child Health (NHIS-CH). This survey uses a multisite probability cluster technique to achieve nationally representative estimates of health and demographic characteristics of the US civilian population.
Participants:
17,110 US children and their families who took part in the 1988 NHIS-CH.
Measurements:
The 1988 NHIS-CH collected health and demographic data including family mobility information on 17,110 US children and their families. This study analyzed the relationship of number of family moves to reporting a regular site for preventive pediatric health care services, a regular site for pediatric sick care, and routine use of emergency departments when a child was sick.
Results:
Overall, 8% of US children were reported to lack a regular site for preventive care services, 7% a site for sick care, and 3% routinely used an emergency department for sick care. However, 14% of children who had moved three or more times lacked a regular site for preventive care and 10% lacked a regular site for sick care, compared to only 3% of children who had never moved. Children who had moved more than twice were three times as likely to lack a regular site for preventive or sick care and 1.6 times as likely to use an emergency department for sick care, as were children who had never moved.
Conclusions:
Families with increased mobility are more likely to lack a regular site for both preventive and sick care and to use emergency departments when their children become ill.