High-consulting children indicate illness-prone families. A study of 38 rural and 38 urban Swedish children's health and use of medical care.
OBJECTIVE
To study health problems and use of medical care in a group of rural and urban children. To relate a number of socio-demographic factors to the children's consultation frequency. To compare high- and low-consulting children with respect to socio-economic status of the family and use of medical care and sicklisting pattern of their parents.


METHODS
Health check-up at school start. Investigation of the children's medical records from birth to the age of seven, and of their parents' use of primary medical care during the same period.


METHODS
Lammhult, a rural community with 3000 inhabitants, and Teleborg, an urban district with 9000 inhabitants, situated in Växjö town, southern Sweden.


METHODS
38 rural and 38 urban preschool children, as well as their parents.


METHODS
Medical visits encountered and antibiotic courses prescribed during the first seven years of life.


RESULTS
Parents having manual occupations and mother being a smoker were factors of importance for the children's use of health and medical care (i.e. gave a high number of medical visits). The 14 high consulters had recurring respiratory tract infections and allergic/asthmatic complaints. Their parents were also high users of primary medical care and they were more often sick-listed than parents of low-consulting children. Rural and urban children made the same number of medical visits and received the same number of antibiotic courses during their first seven years of life.


CONCLUSIONS
With respect to the children's use of health and medical care, we found only minor differences between rural and urban children, whereas socio-economic characteristics of the families were of importance. Moreover, high-consulting children had parents who were high users of primary medical care and who were often sick-listed.
Petersson
C
C
Teleborg Health Centre, Växjö, Sweden.
Håkansson
A
A
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents