School absence and treatment in school children with respiratory symptoms in The Netherlands: data from the Child Health Monitoring System.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of respiratory problems, and the relation of these problems with school attendance, medicine use, and medical treatment.


METHODS
The Child Health Monitoring System.


METHODS
Nineteen public health services across the Netherlands.


METHODS
5186 school children aged 4-15 years, who were eligible for a routine health assessment in the 1991/1992 school year.


RESULTS
Respiratory symptoms were present in 12% of the children. Recent symptoms suggestive of asthma (wheezing or episodes of shortness of breath with wheezing in the past 12 months, or chronic cough, or a combination of these) were reported for 8%. These symptoms were most frequent in the younger children, and in children at school in towns with less than 20,000 inhabitants. Of the children with recent symptoms suggestive of asthma, 37% reported school absence for at least one week during the past 12 months, compared with 16% in children without respiratory symptoms. School absence because of respiratory illness was reported for 22%, and medicine use for respiratory problems for 38% of the children with recent symptoms suggestive of asthma. Of these children, 21% were receiving medical treatment, compared with 15% of the asymptomatic children.


CONCLUSIONS
Respiratory symptoms are a common health problem in children, and they are an important cause of school absence and medicine use. However, the percentage of children receiving medical treatment seemed quite low, indicating that proper diagnosis and treatment are probably still a problem.
TNO Prevention and Health, Public Health and Prevention Division, Department of Child Health, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J
J
Spee-van der Wekke
J F
JF
Meulmeester
J J
JJ
Radder
S P
SP
Verloove-Vanhorick
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D009427:Netherlands Antilles / Q000208:ethnology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012737:Sex Factors; D013532:Suriname / Q000208:ethnology; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology