African American children are socialized in the home, but outside organizations, such as the church, often play an important role. Parents depend upon other family members to chastise, instruct, and discipline their children, particularly if the family members live in proximity and the children know them well. Socialization takes place through rites and celebrations that grow out of religious or cultural observances. Accidental injuries are the leading cause of death in American children after the first few months of life. Nationally, approximately 353,000 hospitalizations and nearly 10 million emergency treatments annually are due to childhood injuries.
Research suggests that minority children are at even greater risk of accidental childhood injury.
As with adults, there is a consistent relationship between family income and children's use of health care services. Not surprisingly, the higher the family income, the more services a child uses. Indeed, children on Medicaid appear to have as many general checkups and immunization visits as middle-income privately insured children. As might be expected, having a generous health insurance plan has a greater effect on the use of medical care for children in poverty than it does for other children. Poor children whose families pay a large amount out of their own pockets use much less care than do those who receive free care.