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- Title
Understanding barriers to well-child visit attendance among racial and ethnic minority parents.
- Authors
Fahey, Nisha; Holt, Allison; Cataltepe, Deniz; Brochier, Annelise; Stern, Amy; Mazanec, Morgan; Courtemanche, James W.; Wilkie, Tracey; Tan, Kellie; Lyu, Rulan; Alper, Eric; Fowler, Josephine; Rhein, Lawrence; Garg, Arvin
- Abstract
Objectives: To assess racial and ethnic minority parents' perceptions about barriers to well-child visit attendance. Methods: For this cross-sectional qualitative study, we recruited parents of pediatric primary care patients who were overdue for a well-child visit from the largest safety net healthcare organization in central Massachusetts to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on understanding potential knowledge, structural, and experiential barriers for well-child visit attendance. Interview content was inductively coded and directed content analysis was performed to identify themes. Results: Twenty-five racial and ethnic minority parents participated; 17 (68%) of whom identified Spanish as a primary language spoken at home. Nearly all participants identified the purpose, significance, and value of well-child visits. Structural barriers were most cited as challenges to attending well-child visits, including parking, transportation, language, appointment availability, and work/other competing priorities. While language emerged as a distinct barrier, it also exacerbated some of the structural barriers identified. Experiential barriers were cited less commonly than structural barriers and included interactions with office staff, racial/ethnic discrimination, appointment reminders, methods of communication, wait time, and interactions with providers. Conclusions: Racial and ethnic minority parents recognize the value of well-child visits; however, they commonly encounter structural barriers that limit access to care. Furthermore, a non-English primary language compounds the impact of these structural barriers. Understanding these barriers is important to inform health system policies to enhance access and delivery of pediatric care with a lens toward reducing racial and ethnic-based inequities.
- Subjects
MASSACHUSETTS; HEALTH services accessibility; CROSS-sectional method; HEALTH literacy; QUALITATIVE research; SAFETY-net health care providers; INTERVIEWING; CONTENT analysis; MOTHERS; PRIMARY health care; PARENT attitudes; RACE; PEDIATRICS; THEMATIC analysis; TRANSPORTATION; MEDICAL appointments; RESEARCH methodology; SPANISH language; FATHERS; MINORITIES; PSYCHOLOGY of parents; INTERPERSONAL relations; DISCRIMINATION (Sociology); HEALTH equity; COMMUNICATION barriers
- Publication
BMC Primary Care, 2024, Vol 25, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2731-4553
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s12875-024-02442-0