Seasonal pattern of morbidities in preschool slum children in Lucknow, north India.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the burden of common morbidities for each month in one year, in preschool children.


METHODS
Anganwadi centers under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) in Lucknow, North India.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study,


METHODS
From 153 anganwadi centers in urban Lucknow, 32 were selected by random draw. All eligible children registered with the anganwadi worker were enrolled over a period of six months from July 1995 to January 1996. All the subjects were then contacted a second time six months later.


METHODS
There were 1061 children (48.3% girls and 51.7% boys) between the ages of 1.5 to 3.5 years.


RESULTS
The annual incidence rate (IR) per 100 child-years for respiratory, diarrhea and skin diseases and pneumonia were 167, 79.9, 30.6 and 9.6, respectively. When compared to other seasons, the IR of pneumonia was lowest in the winter months (October to February) while those of diarrhea and skin diseases were the highest in summer (March-June) and monsoon (July to September) months, respectively. Season specific diseases were measles in summer, and fever as the isolated symptom in monsoon. The IR for combined morbidities was the highest in the monsoon as compared to winter months.


CONCLUSIONS
Season specific intensification of existing health care resources for these morbidities can be considered. Similar studies are needed from other parts of the country.
Awasthi
S
S
Department of Pediatrics, King George's Medical College, Lucknow, U.P.
Pande
V K
VK
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012621:Seasons; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population