In This Issue: The Nourishment and Support of Family Medicine

The Article in Brief

Trends in Well-Child Visits to Family Physicians by Children Younger Than 2 Years of Age

Donna Cohen , and colleagues

Background There was a significant decline in the provision of prenatal services by U.S. family physicians between 1995 and 2004. Did family physicians care for fewer children as a result of this decline? This study sought to answer that question.

What This Study Found Family physicians continued to provide a stable share of well-child care in the first 2 years of life, despite a decline in prenatal services. Between 1995 and 2007, the percentage of well-child visits to family physicians for children younger than 2 years of age remained stable at 15 percent .

Implications

• This finding challenges the longstanding belief that a reduction in maternity care is associated with a reduction in care for children.