[Compulsory medical certificates of early childhood: unknown epidemiology tool]

The delivery of three medical certificates has been made compulsory in 1970, the first during the first eight days of life, the second and the third respectively at 9 and 24 months. Thirty years later a survey has been conducted to evaluate the application and the efficiency of the system in 100 french departments. All the medical directors of the departmental MCH service send back the questionnaire. The number of annual birth by department is of 7,665 (mean) with extremities of 800 to 36,457. The covering of the concerned population is very good for the first certificate and increasing from 88.8% in 1992 to 94.9% in 1998; it is less good and not increasing for the CS9 (71.1%) and the CS24 (66%). The answers to each item are also variable according to the department but with an average of 86% (to refer to 650,000 annual births). The computer treatment of the certificates is increasing since ten years but 8 departments are still using manual analysis. In spite of the decentralization of MCH service each department is obliged to send to the Ministry of Health, each year, the results of 22 indicators which makes it possible to follow up the evolution of the situation of young children at the national level and to establish comparasons between departments. Simultaneously the certificates allow to guide the MCH activities, often at the canton level. The first certificate has been very useful for the study of perinatal problems and the third for the vaccination coverage. For example, some results are given and discussed (qualification of the examiner, neonatal mortality and socio-economical categories, mother âge, duration of pregnancy, birth weight, vaccination coverage...). Of course, the system is not perfect but is improving due to a better information of the medical personnel and of the families. It is still necessary to continue the research to underline the deficiencies and to correct them. Probably, in the future, the system will be extended to the registration of data obtained at the maternal school (3-4 years old) and the elementary school (5-6 years old).