摘要：Objectives. We examined current racial/ethnic differences in immunization coverage rates among US preschool children. Methods. Using National Immunization Survey data from 1996 through 2001, we compared vaccination coverage rates between non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian preschool children. Results. During the 6-year study period, the immunization coverage gap between White and Black children widened by an average of 1.1% each year, and the gap between White and Hispanic children widened by an average of 0.5% each year. The gap between White and Asian children narrowed by an average of 0.8% each year. Conclusions. Racial/ethnic disparities in preschool immunization coverage rates have increased significantly among some groups; critical improvements in identifying, understanding, and addressing race/ethnicity-specific health care differences are needed to achieve the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating disparities. Although childhood immunization coverage in the United States has reached an all-time high, 1 racial/ethnic disparities persist at the national and local levels, even when the effects of socioeconomic differences are considered. 2– 5 Although gaps in childhood immunization coverage among racial/ethnic groups decreased during the past decade and are substantially smaller than gaps for most other health care indicators, 6 we have a national commitment to “leave no child behind.” Eliminating disparities is one of the Healthy People 2010 goals 6 and one of the 6 overarching goals identified in the Institute of Medicine’s Crossing the Quality Chasm report. 7 In the present study, we examined racial/ethnic differences in immunization coverage rates among United States children aged 19 to 35 months during the years 1996 through 2001.
