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Barriers to parental care seeking behavior for children’s oral health among low income parents

Barriers to parental care seeking behavior for children’s oral health among low income parents
Barriers to parental care seeking behavior for children’s oral health among low income parents
Objectives. We identified psychosocial, structural, and cultural barriers to seeking dental care among nonutilizing caregivers of Medicaid-enrolled children.
Methods. We used Medicaid utilization records to identify utilizing and nonutilizing African American and White caregivers of Medicaid-enrolled children in Jefferson County, Kentucky. We conducted 8 focus groups (N=76) with a stratified random sample of responding caregivers; transcripts were qualitatively analyzed.
Results. Psychosocial factors associated with utilization included oral health beliefs, norms of caregiver responsibility, and positive caregiver dental experiences. Utilizing groups reported higher education; health beliefs included identifying oral health with overall health and professional preventive dental care with caregiver responsibility for children’s overall health. These beliefs may mediate shared structural barriers, including transportation, school absence policies, discriminatory treatment, and difficulty locating providers who accept Medicaid. Expectation of poor oral health among some low-income caregivers was among factors identified with nonutilization.
Conclusions. Disadvantaged caregivers reported multiple barriers to accessing dental care for their children. Providers, Medicaid administrators, and schools must coordinate steps to encourage caregiver-controlled dental care, build trust, and link professional preventive dental care with caregiver responsibility for children’s overall health.
children's oral health, health inequalities
1345-1351
Kelly, Susan E.
90e3be8e-0e1e-4278-ad82-83b76d79df1d
Binkley, Catherine J.
c6ee0faf-bbef-4355-a80f-5dd7ab914ae6
Neace, William P.
c80b9f66-f422-4f2a-b84a-5b9086174d2f
Gale, Bruce S.
0d29a50a-9b23-4b75-a1f4-d7bb307bc5cc
Kelly, Susan E.
90e3be8e-0e1e-4278-ad82-83b76d79df1d
Binkley, Catherine J.
c6ee0faf-bbef-4355-a80f-5dd7ab914ae6
Neace, William P.
c80b9f66-f422-4f2a-b84a-5b9086174d2f
Gale, Bruce S.
0d29a50a-9b23-4b75-a1f4-d7bb307bc5cc

Kelly, Susan E., Binkley, Catherine J., Neace, William P. and Gale, Bruce S. (2005) Barriers to parental care seeking behavior for children’s oral health among low income parents. American Journal of Public Health, 95 (8), 1345-1351. (doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.045286).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objectives. We identified psychosocial, structural, and cultural barriers to seeking dental care among nonutilizing caregivers of Medicaid-enrolled children.
Methods. We used Medicaid utilization records to identify utilizing and nonutilizing African American and White caregivers of Medicaid-enrolled children in Jefferson County, Kentucky. We conducted 8 focus groups (N=76) with a stratified random sample of responding caregivers; transcripts were qualitatively analyzed.
Results. Psychosocial factors associated with utilization included oral health beliefs, norms of caregiver responsibility, and positive caregiver dental experiences. Utilizing groups reported higher education; health beliefs included identifying oral health with overall health and professional preventive dental care with caregiver responsibility for children’s overall health. These beliefs may mediate shared structural barriers, including transportation, school absence policies, discriminatory treatment, and difficulty locating providers who accept Medicaid. Expectation of poor oral health among some low-income caregivers was among factors identified with nonutilization.
Conclusions. Disadvantaged caregivers reported multiple barriers to accessing dental care for their children. Providers, Medicaid administrators, and schools must coordinate steps to encourage caregiver-controlled dental care, build trust, and link professional preventive dental care with caregiver responsibility for children’s overall health.

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More information

Published date: 2005
Keywords: children's oral health, health inequalities

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Local EPrints ID: 42770
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/42770
PURE UUID: e142c528-6ea9-4b71-8534-8537b3fdba64

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Date deposited: 04 Jan 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 08:50

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Contributors

Author: Susan E. Kelly
Author: Catherine J. Binkley
Author: William P. Neace
Author: Bruce S. Gale

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