title: Parental perception of psychophysical health, nutritional status and oral health in relation to sociodemographic characteristics in children in Bariloche, Argentina: an epidemiological study.
abstract: There is evidence of an association between social determinants and child health.
  
  
  
  To identify sociodemographic characteristics related to child health inequalities and to analize the cumulative effect on health of risk factors based on these characteristics.
  
  
  
  We evaluated 4-13 year-old children in Bariloche between June 2008 and May 2009. The following sociodemographic characteristics were taken into account: socioeconomic level, maternal education, adolescent pregnancy, medical coverage, unsafeness, and family habits. We assessed parental perception of physical, and social and emotional health, nutritional status and oral health in relation to these characteristics and the accumulation of risk factors. We used survey, anthropometry and oral examination.
  
  
  
  One hundred and eighty students participated. The level of maternal education was associated with the child's physical, social and emotional, and oral health. The percentage of children with missing teeth or cavities reached 77% among those whose mothers had, at most, completed primary school, compared to 13% among those whose mothers had completed tertiary school or university. The possibility of perceiving a non-optimal physical, and social and emotional health increased 1.8 and 1.4 times with each risk factor, respectively, and the possibility of having missing teeth or cavities was twice as much with each additional risk factor. Overweight and obesity was observed in 27.3% and 8.7% of students, respectively, and no relationship was found with sociodemographic characteristics.
  
  
  
  A low family socioeconomic level and a low maternal education level were associated with a higher prevalence of unfavorable health outcomes. Multiple risk factors have an cumulative effect on parental perception of physical, social and emotional, and oral health.
authors: Departamento de Estadística, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors: Gilda
authors: G
authors: Garibotti
authors: Secretaría de Salud, Municipalidad de Bahía Blanca, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Cecilia
authors: C
authors: Vasconi
authors: Consultorios pediátricos privados, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors: Alejandra
authors: A
authors: Ferrari
authors: Consultorios pediátricos privados, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors: Gabriela
authors: G
authors: Giannini
authors: Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche.
authors: Haydeé
authors: H
authors: Comar
authors: Consultorios pediátricos privados, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Schnaiderman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009909:Oral Health; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors