The goal of this study is to measure the impact of children's demographic characteristics, parents health care perceptions and experiences, and provider's characteristics (including type of Medi-Cal managed care plan) on preventive pediatric health care outcomes. A prospective design will be used and 500 families will be enrolled over a one year period. Data collection will proceed with parent interviews and medical record abstractions. PCRC resources are requested for assistance with sensitive, standardized interviews (research nurses), and computer and statistical assistance. Several hypotheses will be examined in the proposed study. The primary hypothesis is: Despite enrollment in Medi-Cal managed care, children living in MUA (medically underserved areas) whose parents have had negative experiences with health care professionals will have a greater proportion of children with negative pediatric preventive health care outcomes (e.g., receipt of of physical examinations and complete immunizations) compared to other children.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter