A
new study by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration
indicates that African American children with frequent ear
infections (FEI) were less likely than white children to get
specialized medical care or surgery, even when they had health
insurance and regular care.
“It’s
our agency’s mission to work toward eliminating disparities
in health care,” said HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke,
Ph.D. “Research like this helps clarify where we stand in achieving
this goal and how far we have yet to go.”
“Black-White
Differences in Health Care Utilization among U.S. Children
with Frequent Ear Infections,” by first author Christina Park,
Ph.D., HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, was published
in May’s Pediatrics
.
The
study analyzed data collected on 1,985 children, part of an
overall 25,497 children under age 18 who participated in a
national health interview survey.
Parents or guardians reported these children to have
had “three or more ear infections during the past 12 months.”
Findings
indicate:
·
Among white and black children in this age group, 8.0 percent of the white
children and
6.6 percent of the black children had frequent ear infections
in the past year.
·
Black children with FEI were as likely as white children to be insured and
have a usual source of care, but were predominantly covered
by public health insurance (58 percent), mainly Medicaid. Most white children had private health insurance (65 percent).
·
After accounting for factors such as health insurance and usual source of
care, black children with FEI were about half as likely to
see a medical specialist.
They were less than half as likely to undergo surgery
compared to white children with FEI and more than twice as
likely to have medical care delayed due to transportation
problems.
Ear
infection, otitis media, is the most common childhood
bacterial infection in the U.S.
FEI are especially troublesome because of possible
long-term consequences for children in speech and language
development. Due
to the prevalence of otitis media, researchers say
the gap in treatment of children with FEI should be understood
in light of findings related to seeing medical specialists,
specific medical interventions, and transportation problems.
For more information on HRSA programs that offer children
access to quality health care, visit www.hrsa.gov.
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Note: All HRSA press
releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available
at www.hrsa.gov/newsroom.
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