Children in rural areas have high rates of medical complexity and often reside in low-income and medically underserved areas, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A study published in Pediatrics examines the inpatient health care utilization of rural children as compared to nonrural children, specifically the higher cost of hospitalization and increased frequency of readmissions.

Chang Wu, M.D., Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and Marjorie White, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine, were among the investigators who looked at patient admissions in 41 freestanding tertiary-care pediatric hospitals across the United States, where rural children account for 12 percent of all admissions. The most common admissions were for asthma, bronchiolitis and seizures. Children from rural areas are particularly vulnerable, as they often experience worse health outcomes, and higher rates of obesity and tobacco exposure, and 71 percent had at least one chronic medical condition.
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Fox 6 News interviewed Dr. Wu in regards to this study. Click here to view the segment.