Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status

Child Health News
Published: Wednesday, 3-May-2006

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care, and use of services, according to a new national study by researchers at the Center for Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

These racial/ethnic groups had pronounced adverse disparities in several areas:

--African Americans: disparities were greatest in care for asthma, behavioral problems, skin disorders, speech problems, and unmet prescription needs

--Latinos: disparities were greatest in the lack of health insurance, having no usual source of medical care, and not getting prescriptions for needed medications

--Native Americans: disparities greatest in hearing/vision problems, frequent ED visits, no usual source of care and unmet medical dental needs.

---Asian Pacific Islanders: disparities greatest in inferior oral health, not seeing a doctor in the past year, and problems getting specialty care.

--Multiracial children also experienced multiple disparities, including significantly higher risks than white children of asthma, unmet healthcare needs due to health plan problems, having no regular healthcare provider, and having no dental visits in the past year.

Article available at: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=17719

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