[Health Status of German and Foreign Children: Why is Mehmet healthier than Maximilian?].
At least in Germany social epidemiologists have practically never studied the association between the health status of children on one hand and their social status and nationality on the other. The census data from 1995 analysed here include data on social status (employment, social security, per capita income, school education) and nationality; and the 1 % sample of the population living in Germany covers all nationalities and all members of the families interviewed. The analysis includes 50,908 children aged 0-18 years and focuses on the health status and the smoking behaviour of the children and their parents. The result is somewhat surprising: In the age group 0-9 years foreign children seem to be more healthy than German children, despite the fact that their families more often belong to the lower status group and that their parents smoke more than the parents of the German children. It is hypothesised that social support in foreign families is stronger than in German families, and that this protective effect is stronger than the disadvantages of foreign children concerning social status of their families and smoking behaviour of their parents.
Hermann
N
N
München, Germany.
Mielck
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution