A Comparative Study of Child Health Care in Urban and Suburban Children

The health care received in the first two years of life by 113 children from a predominantly white, affluent, middle-class, suburban community under a prepaid health plan was compared with that of 85 children from a predominantly black, poor, urban ghetto under a comprehensive health services for Children and Youth (C & Y). Some similarities in utilization pattern were apparent but there were some striking and important differences. The ghetto child was seen for illnesses as often as his suburban counterpart, but he had fewer well-child and health maintenance checkups, especially in the first year of life. The ghetto child failed to keep four times as many scheduled appointments as the suburban child. The ghetto child was sick more often, and had more serious and life-threatening illnesses.