Health status of the children in a high density town near Harare, Zimbabwe.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the health status of the children for conditions associated with poverty.


METHODS
Cross sectional.


METHODS
Households in Chitungwiza, a dormitory town of Harare, Zimbabwe.


METHODS
181 children less than five years of age in 1990 and 162 in 1993.


METHODS
Nutritional status and illness experienced by children.


RESULTS
A total of 191 (90.0%) mothers breast fed for more than a year. Thirty two (24.2%) children more than six months old in 1990 and 24 (18.9%) in 1993 were offered less than three meals a day. Illnesses were most common (90.9%) in children aged six to 11 months old and decreased after this. Diarrhoea and coughs accounted for most of this excess (87.9%). Coughs alone affected 33.8% of children of all ages. Knowledge of making rehydration sugar/salt solution was wrong in 23.9% of mothers. Appropriate immunization was given to 85% of children in 1993. Twenty one (14.9%) children in 1990 and 15(12.2%) in 1993 were under 80% weight for age. Thirteen (8.7%) children in 1990 and 16 (10.8%) in 1993 were stunted.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast feeding was generally satisfactory but the number of meals offered to a fifth of the children aged more than six months was inadequate. Instructions for making rehydration sugar/salt solution, on composition and quantity to be given should be made easily available so that the rate of mothers with wrong knowledge of making the sugar salt solution could be decreased. Children of age six to 11 months need to be kept warm to avoid coughs and need to be brought up in hygienic conditions to avoid diarrhoea.
Watts
T E
TE
Ngwelezana Hospital, Empangeni, South Africa.
Siziya
S
S
D000818:Animals; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009017:Morbidity; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011203:Poverty; D011817:Rabbits; D014504:Urban Health; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology