 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Louise Seguin, MD, MPH, Louise Potvin, PhD, Qian Xu, MD, MPH, Maria-Victoria Zunzunegui, PhD, Katherine L. Frohlich, PhD, and Lise Gauvin, PhD. Department of social and preventive medicine, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Centre Ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada, 514-343-7665, louise.seguin@umontreal.ca
The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a lack of money for basic needs on the presence of health problems at the age of 29 months, controlling for the mother's age, level of education, the presence of a partner, mother's health habits and the baby's characteristics. Methods : Analyses were performed on the 29-month data of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). This longitudinal study annually tracks a representative sample of singleton births in Québec in 1997-98 and excludes births in First Nation territories or reservations. Interviews were conducted in the home with the mother in 98.8% of cases and this information was supplemented with data from birth records. At 29 months, the response rate was 94.2% of the initial sample (n =1997). The main outcomes measures were : acute health problems, asthma attacks, hospitalization, growth delay, and mother's perception of the child's health. Results: Children from families that have a serious lack of money for basic needs (a measure that was correlated with both level of family income sufficiency and chronic poverty) have approximately twice the risk of presenting one of the health problems examined or of being hospitalized, controlling for the mother's age, level of education, marital status, and health habits. Conclusion : Financial difficulties have a significant impact on toddlers’ health beyond what is controlled for by mother’s characteristics.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child Health, Poverty
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.