Which Sources of Child Health Advice Do Parents Follow?

Abstract

Background: Parents consult other child health information sources in addition to the pediatrician. There are little data describing which of these sources parents are likely to follow. Methods: The authors surveyed 543 parents of patients in 6 pediatric practices in southeast Michigan shortly after an office visit to determine the degree to which parents report following advice from 7 common child health sources on a scale from 1 (don’t follow at all) to 7 (follow completely). Results: Pediatrician advice was more completely followed than other sources with mothers a distant second. Although 96% of parents used the Internet to find child health information, few followed most of the advice found there. White parents were 3 times more likely than African Americans to follow advice from television and newspapers. Conclusion: Parents rely on child health advice from the pediatrician and their mother. Other sources are consulted but not widely followed.