[Morbidity among infants from ethnic minorities].
BACKGROUND
The purpose of the study was to describe morbidity in ethnic minority children during their first year of life.


METHODS
Baseline data from a cohort of 482 ethnic minority children born in Denmark in 1995. The mothers were interviewed in their homes, when on an average their children were 7 1/2 months old. The results were compared with those of a parallel cohort study of 5429 children born in 1995 by Danish citizens.


RESULTS
Out of all of the minority children, 86% had had a cold, 33% had had vomits, 29% had had diarrhea, 27% had had fever without other symptoms, 21% had suffered from middle ear infection, 21% had been wheezing, 21% had had eczema/rash, and 10% had suffered from pneumonia. Minority children aged 3-6 months had more often had gastrointestinal symptoms, middle ear infection, high fever without other symptoms and had because of illness more often been seen by a family doctor, an emergency doctor or had visited an emergency room than was the case with Danish children. Minority children had more seldom than Danish children been ill or had a cold or wheeze, and had more seldom been given medication.


CONCLUSIONS
Slightly increased morbidity from some illnesses was found among minority children and a little less from other illnesses compared with Danish children. However, the differences were not substantial.
Nielsen
Anne Margrethe
AM
Statens Institut for Folkesundhed Svanemøllevej 25, DK-2100 København ø. amn@si-folkesundhed.dk
Rasmussen
Søren
S
Jeppesen
Kirsten Just
KJ
D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare / Q000208:ethnology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009017:Morbidity; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires