Policy Statements

The Academy recognizes the need for culturally effective pediatric care by stating that “the needs of the pediatric population are influenced by factors relating to culture and ethnicity. Pediatricians must acquire the knowledge and practice skills that will allow them to: recognize and address culture and ethnicity; make valid assessments of clinical findings; provide effective patient management.”

Furthermore, the Academy recognizes the problem of increasing health disparities between children of ethnic and racial groups compared with white children, by stating that “for the pediatric population, social, racial, and ethnic barriers may perpetuate these disparities by preventing adequate access to care.”

The following list contains several American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statements and Subject Reviews that specifically relate to and address the need for culturally effective pediatric care:

• Ensuring Culturally Effective Pediatric Care: Implication for Education and Health Policy (Dec 2004)
  
  
• Enhancing the Diversity of the Pediatrician Workforce (Revised April 2007)
  
  
• Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Socioeconomic Status – Research Exploring Their Effects on Child Health: A Subject Review (reaffirmed February 2006)
  
  
• Nondiscrimination in Pediatric Health Care (Revised October 2007)
  
  
• Pediatric Workforce Statement (revised July 2005)
  

In addition, you may access the following AAP Policy Statements related to culturally effective pediatric care on the AAP POLICY Web site. (aappolicy.aapjournals.org)

• Female Genital Mutilation
• The Prevention of Unintentional Injury Among American Indian & Alaska Native Children: A Subject Review
• Immunizations for Native American Children
• Prevention & Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in American Indian & Alaska Native Children
• AAP Circumcision Policy Statement
• Health Supervision for Children With Sickle Cell Disease
• The Practical Significance of Lactose Intolerance in Children
• Counseling Families Who Choose Complementary & Alternative Medicine for Their Child With Chronic Illness or Disability
• The Medical Home
• Issues Related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission in Schools, Childcare, Medical Settings, the Home, & Community
• The Role of the Pediatrician in Recognizing and Intervening on Behalf of Abused Women
• Counseling the Adolescent About Pregnancy Options
• Homosexuality & Adolescence
• The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion
• Counseling the Adolescent About Pregnancy Options
• Informed Consent, Parental Permission, & Assent in Pediatric Practice
• Care of Adolescent Parents & Their Children
• Sexuality Education for Children & Adolescents
• AAP – Contraception & Adolescents
• The Role of the Pediatrician in Youth Violence Prevention in Clinical Practice & at the Community Level
• Appropriate Boundaries in the Pediatrician-Family-Patient Relationship
• Guidance for Effective Discipline
• Health care for Children & Adolescents in the Juvenile Correctional Care System
• Health Needs of Homeless Children
• Developmental Issues for Young Children in Foster Care
• Transition of Care Provided for Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs