title: [Health Promotion and Child Protection in the Paediatric Practice - Paediatricians as Protagonists in an Invitation and Reporting System for Child Health Check-ups].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since 1971 routine child health check-ups allow the routine identification of dis-eases in children and adolescents. Paediatricians play a central role in health prevention in childhood and adolescence and are - on account of their acceptance and admission requirements - important actors in child protection. Thus, paediatric practitioners were actively involved in the invitation and reporting system for the routine child health check-ups (U6 and U7), which was introduced to increase participation rates and improve child protection in Hamburg.
  
  
  METHODS
  By means of a questionnaire survey, all paediatric practitioners practicing in Hamburg were asked a year after introduction of the invitation and reporting system to report on their practical experience, and to share their assessment and criticism of the system (response rate 73%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 110 participating pediatricians (M=19.5 years practical experience), 81% evaluated the invitation and reporting system as very useful, useful or rather useful; 83% supported an expansion of the system for routine child health check-ups, and about 18% observed an increased utilisation of routine child health check-ups especially from families with a migrant background and by socially-disadvantaged families. Criticism was made concerning ineffective procedures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The invitation and reporting system for routine child health check-ups in Hamburg shows how pediatricians can be integrated into the network of prevention and child welfare. It also shows their support of this system. Paying more systematic attention and an interdisciplinary network connecting paediatricians may contribute to a more comprehensive prevention and child protection.
authors.affiliation: Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Metzner
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, -psychotherapie und -psychosomatik, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ravens-Sieberer
authors.affiliation: Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwinn
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, -psychotherapie und -psychosomatik, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lietz
authors.affiliation: Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pawils
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068216:Child Protective Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000072143:Pediatricians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010819:Physician's Role