Infant morbidity in an Indian slum birth cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To establish incidence rates, clinic referrals, hospitalisations, mortality rates and baseline determinants of morbidity among infants in an Indian slum.


METHODS
A community-based birth cohort with twice-weekly surveillance.


METHODS
Vellore, South India.


METHODS
452 newborns recruited over 18 months, followed through infancy.


METHODS
Incidence rates of gastrointestinal illness, respiratory illness, undifferentiated fever, other infections and non-infectious morbidity; rates of community-based diagnoses, clinic visits and hospitalisation; and rate ratios of baseline factors for morbidity.


RESULTS
Infants experienced 12 episodes (95% confidence interval (CI) 11 to 13) of illness, spending about one fifth of their infancy with an illness. Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms were most common with incidence rates (95% CI) of 7.4 (6.9 to 7.9) and 3.6 (3.3 to 3.9) episodes per child-year. Factors independently associated with a higher incidence of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness were age (3-5 months), male sex, cold/wet season and household involved in beedi work. The rate (95% CI) of hospitalisation, mainly for respiratory and gastrointestinal illness, was 0.28 (0.22 to 0.35) per child-year.


CONCLUSIONS
The morbidity burden due to respiratory and gastrointestinal illness is high in a South Indian urban slum, with children ill for approximately one fifth of infancy, mainly with respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The risk factors identified were younger age, male sex, cold/wet season and household involvement in beedi work.
Gladstone
B P
BP
Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
Muliyil
J P
JP
Jaffar
S
S
Wheeler
J G
JG
Le Fevre
A
A
Iturriza-Gomara
M
M
Gray
J J
JJ
Bose
A
A
Estes
M K
MK
Brown
D W
DW
Kang
G
G
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000009:adverse effects*
D028321:Plant Preparations