Differing Perspectives of Inner-City Parents and Pediatric Clinicians Impact Management of Iron-Deficiency Anemia

ObjectiveTo ascertain the beliefs and experiences of inner-city pediatric clinicians and parents regarding anemia in young children.DesignFocus groups and in-depth interviews.SettingPediatric clinics and community agencies in Hartford, Connecticut.ParticipantsConvenience sample of 41 pediatric clinicians (93% white, 73% female) and 85 parents (100% minority, 88% female, 47% < 12 years education).Phenomenon of InterestIdentification, understanding, and management of anemia.AnalysisResearcher pairs coded complete transcriptions. Recurrent themes were identified, which were then contrasted and compared between clinicians and parents.ResultsBoth clinicians and parents were familiar with, but frustrated by the persistence of anemia. They noted time constraints and poor communication during office visits as contributing to the problem. Parents felt alarmed upon initial diagnosis; linked anemia with heredity, food patterns, and activity; reported culturally linked management strategies; but were uncertain of the seriousness. Health clinicians saw physiological processes as outside the parents’ understanding and emphasized prevention through feeding recommendations.Conclusions and ImplicationsIn order to address childhood anemia effectively, differing socio-cultural perspectives of clinicians and parents need to be incorporated into a unified health care plan. Nutritionists are well suited to collaborate on the health care team to effectively address this issue.