U.S. child health: what's amiss, and what should be done about it?

Abstract

This paper addresses the state of health of U.S. children and finds it to be poorer in virtually every way than that of children in other countries. It explores several possible explanations, including population heterogeneity, social (including income) inequality, and inadequacy of the health services system. The latter explanation is found to relate to the underdevelopment of U.S. primary care. In light of the position taken by the World Health Organization regarding the importance of primary care, adopting the recommendations of a new National Research Council/Institute of Medicine report and some changes in health policy could help improve the health of American children.