Preventive Care Statistics: How Parents Balance Doctor Visits & Flu Season Challenges

Preventative care is essential for keeping children healthy, from routine well-child visits to dental checkups and vision exams. Medical care becomes even more important during cold and flu season, as parents navigate keeping their children healthy. 

To better understand how parents prioritize preventative care, we surveyed parents of children 17 and under from across the country, exploring their habits, concerns, and approaches when it comes to preventative care, especially during the peak of cold and flu season. 

Flu Shots, Home Remedies & Sick Days: How Parents Handle Cold and Flu Season

As flu season gets underway, parents are split on vaccinations. More than half (53%) have gotten or plan to get their child a flu shot while one-third (33%) won’t and 14% are unsure. The top reasons for skipping the flu shot include not thinking their child needs it (54%), concerns about side effects (47%), and preferring natural immunity (43%).

That preference for natural approaches extends beyond vaccines, as 57% of parents say they turn to home remedies when their child gets sick, with Gen Z parents leading the way (66%).

Over 40% of Parents Send Kids to School Sick, Even When They Should Stay Home

More than 2 in 5 (42%) parents say they send their child to school or daycare with mild cold symptoms and 41% admit to doing so even when they probably should’ve kept them home. The top reasons? Symptoms seemed mild (41%), no childcare (19%), and work obligations (17%). Only 37% keep kids home when they have a fever.

Parents concern levels about flu and respiratory illnesses:

• Very concerned - 15%
• Somewhat concerned - 52%
• Not concerned - 33%

“Most colds are usually not serious with children having cough, runny nose and nasal congestion that can last for up to two weeks or more," says Tomitra Latimer, MD, Interim Division Head, Advanced General Pediatrics & Primary Care. “Sometimes a child can develop high fever, difficulty breathing, poor drinking or severe ear pain which should signal parents to contact their primary care doctor for advice.” 

“There are a few warning signs that parents need to be aware of that should prompt a medical visit for evaluation,” says Ravi Jhaveri, MD, Division Head, Infectious Diseases. “If your child is having high fevers (>102F), is listless, not eating or drinking well enough to stay hydrated, this could be a sign of the flu or a more severe form of other respiratory viruses. Flu antivirals work best to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms if flu is diagnosed early in the illness. We worry most about bacterial infections on top of these respiratory viruses, so if a child develops eye swelling, has breathing difficulty or becomes less responsive, these should prompt a visit to the Emergency Department.” 

32% of Parents Aren’t Sure Which Preventive Visits Their Child Needs

Rising healthcare costs are also causing families to rethink routine visits as 1 in 4 parents say higher costs have made them reconsider preventive care.

Knowledge gaps may also contribute to missed care: 32% of parents aren’t confident about which preventive visits their child needs each year.

More than 1 in 10 (13%) parents say their child has missed a preventive care appointment in the past three years, most often due to scheduling conflicts (35%), feeling the visit wasn’t necessary (22%), and cost or insurance coverage (14%).

The survey also shows mixed perceptions of the importance of preventive care: 30% of parents believe it is only somewhat important for keeping their children healthy during cold and flu season.

“Regular well child checkups are important especially during the cold and flu season to ensure children receive the recommended vaccines like influenza and COVID-19, check they are growing well and meeting developmental milestones, and discuss any other health concerns,” says Dr. Latimer. 

Who Parents Trust for Pediatric Health Advice

When it comes to other forms of preventative care like vaccinations, 56% of parents say they completely trust their pediatrician’s advice on vaccines. More than 1 in 3 (35%) somewhat trust and 8% don’t trust. 

Parents top sources for preventive care information:

• Pediatrician or healthcare provider (85%)
• Internet/social media (27%)
• Family or friends (23%)

“Trusted sources like pediatricians are reliable and can provide accurate advice that supports a child’s well-being, development, and growth,” says Dr. Latimer. “Parents can also lean on reputable websites like AAP, HealthyChildren.org, FamilyDoctor.org.”

“While vaccine hesitancy receives a lot of attention, I think it is really important to acknowledge that over 90% of parents vote with their feet every year to get their children the recommended vaccines,” says Dr. Jhaveri. “They appreciate the importance of the current vaccine schedule and trust the advice of their pediatric provider. They are not asking for changes to vaccine schedule or policy.” 

Parents place the highest priority on well-child visits (79%), followed by dental checkups (76%) and vaccinations (67%) when it comes to their child’s preventive care.

Methodology

In October 2025, we conducted a survey of 1,007 parents with children under 17-years-old from across the U.S. about preventative care for their child. Among respondents, 49% identified as male, 50% as female, and 1% as nonbinary or declined to answer. Respondents had an average age of 38.

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Fair Use

When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing Lurie Children’s.