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. 2012 Sep;51(9):840-7.
doi: 10.1177/0009922812455093. Epub 2012 Jul 26.

What are parents worried about? Health problems and health concerns for children

Jane M Garbutt  1 , Erin Leege, Randall Sterkel, Shannon Gentry, Michael Wallendorf, Robert C Strunk
Affiliations

What are parents worried about? Health problems and health concerns for children

Jane M Garbutt et al. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Patient-centered care requires pediatricians to address parents' health concerns, but their willingness to solicit parental concerns may be limited by uncertainty about which topics will be raised. The authors conducted surveys of parents to identify current health-related issues of concern.

Methods: Participants rated 30 items as health problems for children in their community (large, medium, small, or no problem) and volunteered concerns for their own children.

Results: A total of 1119 parents completed the survey. Allergies (69%), lack of exercise (68%), asthma (65%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (65%), Internet safety (63%), obesity (59%), smoking (58%), and bullying (57%) were identified as important problems (large or medium) with variation among demographic subgroups. Concerns for their own children included healthy nutrition; obesity; lack of exercise, healthy growth and development; safety and injury prevention; and mental health issues.

Conclusion: Parents' health concerns for children are varied and may differ from those routinely addressed during well-child care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: This publication was made possible by Grant Number UL1 RR024992 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR or NIH. The sponsors had no involvement in study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data, the writing of the report or the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Subject recruitment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of important health concerns by sociodemographic factors
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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