The care received by the poor is more likely to be of lower quality than that offered to the nonpoor, and the content of the care provided is often inadequate to the problems experienced. Finally, poor families may seem unmotivated to seek personal health services when the problem is actually lack of information, fear, or different priorities regarding the use of time and money. When financial barriers are removed, the care-seeking behavior of many of the poor closely resembles that of the nonpoor. The Personal Health Care Patterns of Families in Poverty Even though many of the health problems experienced by poor children are the direct or indirect consequences of poverty and related factors, health-related services can play an important role in preventing and ameliorating these problems. Poor families have different patterns of health service utilization than do nonpoor families, but these differences may be largely a function of financial constraints.
Poor families participate less in activities that reduce injuries and poisonings.
Poor women are more likely to have unwanted or mistimed births, and they are less likely to use contraceptives. Poor pregnant women are less likely to begin prenatal care in the first trimester and more likely to receive no care at all. The number of physician visits per year is lower for poor children than nonpoor children, and the source of medical care also differs, with nonpoor children less likely to be seen in a physician's office and more likely to be seen in an emergency room, a clinic, or a hospital outpatient department. Children of color are less likely to be fully immunized than white children. Among community health programs, injury prevention initiatives have definitely reduced mortality and trauma.