Which sources of child health advice do parents follow?

BACKGROUND Parents consult other child health information sources in addition to the pediatrician. There are little data describing which of these sources parents are likely to follow. METHODS The authors surveyed 543 parents of patients in 6 pediatric practices in southeast Michigan shortly after an office visit to determine the degree to which parents report following advice from 7 common child health sources on a scale from 1 (don't follow at all) to 7 (follow completely). RESULTS Pediatrician advice was more completely followed than other sources with mothers a distant second. Although 96% of parents used the Internet to find child health information, few followed most of the advice found there. White parents were 3 times more likely than African Americans to follow advice from television and newspapers. CONCLUSION Parents rely on child health advice from the pediatrician and their mother. Other sources are consulted but not widely followed.