Timing of Health Care Visits
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
that children have eight preventive health
care visits in their first year, three in their second
year, and at least one per year from middle childhood
through adolescence. In 2007, 11.4 percent
of children under 18 years of age had not seen a
physician or other health care professional in the
past year (not including overnight hospitalization,
emergency department visits, home health care,
or dental care). Older children were more likely
than younger children to go 12 months without
seeing a health care provider. More than 15 percent
of children aged 15-17 years had not seen a
health care provider in the past year, compared to
7.4 percent of children under 5 years of age.
Health care visits also varied by race/ethnicity: in 2007, nearly 17 percent of Hispanic children had not seen a physician or other health professional in the past year, compared to 9.7 percent of non-Hispanic White children and 9.6 percent of non-Hispanic Black children. Within every age group Hispanic children were the least likely to have seen a health care provider, and non-Hispanic Black children were the most likely to have seen one, except for within the 15- to 17-year-old age group. Across all racial/ethnic and age groups, Hispanic children aged 15-17 years were the most likely to have gone without a health care visit in the past year (29.2 percent).
