Variations in Rates of Hospitalization of Children

To the Editor: Perrin and colleagues (May 4 issue) 1 report on differences in rates of hospitalization of children in Boston, Rochester, and New Haven. In an accompanying editorial, Wise and Eisenberg 2 emphasize the importance of poverty in accounting for these variations. A study on the hospitalization of children in New York City, recently completed by one of us for the United Hospital Fund, corroborates the findings of Perrin et al. and supports the contention of Wise and Eisenberg that poverty is a major determinant of variations in the hospitalization of children. In the study, part of a broader analysis described . . .