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Growth patterns, health and illness in preschool children from a multi‐ethnic, poor socio‐economic status municipality of Melbourne
Author(s) -
CARMICHAEL A.,
WILLIAMS H. E.,
PICOT S. G.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1990.tb02410.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ethnic group , disadvantage , cohort , socioeconomic status , demography , cohort study , pediatrics , population , longitudinal study , sample (material) , environmental health , chemistry , pathology , chromatography , sociology , anthropology , political science , law
There are little longitudinal data available for sample populations of Australian children. Previous findings from the Brunswick Family Study, unlike earlier overseas studies, have shown that adverse family and social factors were not associated with growth abnormalities. Follow‐up of 224 children from the cohort at 4 years of age has confirmed absence of significant growth disturbances, no mortality between 1 and 4 years, and serious morbidity due to organic illness in only 4% of the sample. However, 22% of the 4 year olds were found to have behaviour disturbances. These findings from a multi‐ethnic, poorer socio‐economic status population sample illustrate the importance of behaviour disturbances as one aspect of the new morbidity in Australian paediatrics and indicate that the once prevalent growth failure and organic morbidity consequent to family and social disadvantage have all but disappeared.