Elsevier

Public Health

Volume 100, Issue 3, May 1986, Pages 156-165
Public Health

Mothers' attitudes to a child health clinic in a deprivedarea of Nottingham

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0033-3506(86)80029-4Get rights and content

Abstract

Ninety children aged between one and two years registered at a child health clinic in a deprived area of Nottingham were classified according to their frequency of clinic attendance. The mothers of 71 of these children were interviewed in their own homes. There was no evidence that poor clinic attendance was due to confusion about the role of preventive child health services. On the contrary, mothers understood clearly the different purposes of child health clinics and other services. The main reason for poor clinic attendance appeared to be that poor attenders did not believe the functions of the clinic to be useful, important or relevant and preferred to use alternative sources of help or advice. Perceived negative features of the clinic or health visitor acted as a deterrent for an important minority of poor attenders. Children whose health visitors were not based at the clinic were less likely to attend. It is concluded that mothers' reasons for poor clinic attendance are not irrational but are based on attitudes which make their behaviour comprehensible, and which need to be taken into account by the health services.

References (16)

  • SpenceJ. et al.

    A Thousand Families in Newcastle upon Tyne: An approach to the study of health and illness in children

    (1954)
  • DouglasJ.W.B. et al.
  • MillerF.J.W. et al.
  • CrellinE. et al.
  • DavieR. et al.

    From Birth to Seven: The second report of the National Child Development Study (1958 cohort)

    (1972)
  • WedgeP. et al.
  • BlaxterM.
  • ZinkinP.M. et al.

    Child health clinics and inverse care laws: evidence from a longitudinal study of 1878 pre-school children

    British Medical Journal

    (1976)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.
View full text