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Assessing health status in Manitoba children: acute and chronic conditions
Anita L Kozyrskyj1, G Elske Hildes-Ripstein
1Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB.
Insights
Childhood illness in Manitoba is unevenly distributed, with higher rates of lower respiratory tract infections and physical disabilities in northern regions and lower-income areas. Asthma prevalence was 10% in school-aged children, with lower treatment rates in northern Manitoba.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Child health status measures vary widely, encompassing physical, mental, and activity domains.
- Understanding the geographical distribution of pediatric health issues is crucial for targeted interventions.
- Manitoba's regional health disparities require investigation into childhood morbidity patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the regional distribution of physical morbidity among children in Manitoba.
- To analyze the prevalence of acute and chronic childhood conditions across different health regions.
- To examine the relationship between socioeconomic factors and childhood illness distribution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized population-based prescription and healthcare data from Manitoba for 1998/99.
- Assessed prevalence of lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, cardiovascular disease, Type 1 diabetes, seizure disorders, and physical disabilities (spina bifida, cerebral palsy).
- Analyzed data by 12 Regional Health Authorities and 12 Winnipeg Community Areas, using premature mortality rate (PMR) for healthiness ranking and neighborhood income quintiles.
Main Results:
- Lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization was highest in infants (6%) and correlated with lower neighborhood income and poorer regional population healthiness.
- Asthma affected 10% of school-aged children, with significantly lower treatment rates in northern Manitoba compared to Winnipeg.
- Physical disabilities were most prevalent in northern Manitoba; chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, Type 1 diabetes, and seizure disorders showed no significant regional distribution differences.
Conclusions:
- While most Manitoba children experience good health, a significant burden of chronic and acute conditions exists.
- The distribution of childhood illness is demonstrably uneven across Manitoba's regions.
- Socioeconomic and geographic factors appear to influence the prevalence and treatment of certain childhood health conditions.
Background:
Numerous child health status measures have been developed, ranging from assessments of physical and mental health to activity continuums. Our objective was to report the regional distribution of physical morbidity among children in Manitoba.
Methods:
Using Manitoba's population-based prescription and health care data for 1998/99, the prevalence of children with lower respiratory tract infections, four chronic conditions (asthma, cardiovascular disease, Type 1 diabetes mellitus and seizure disorders) and physical disabilities, including spina bifida and cerebral palsy, was determined for 12 Regional Health Authorities and 12 Winnipeg Community Areas, ranked by a measure of population healthiness, the premature mortality rate (PMR). Prescription rates were also reported by neighbourhood income quintile, derived from census data.
Results:
Hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infection was highest in infants (6%) and increased with successive decreases in neighbourhood income or in the population healthiness of a region. On the basis of a physician diagnosis or prescription drug for asthma, 10% of school-age children had asthma. Asthma treatment rates in northern Manitoba were substantially lower than in Winnipeg. Treatment rates for cardiovascular conditions, Type I diabetes and seizure disorders approached 1% in adolescents and there were no regional differences in the distribution of these conditions. The prevalence of physical disability was highest in northern Manitoba.
Conclusion:
A minority of Manitoba children suffer from chronic and serious acute health problems in childhood, but the burden of illness is not evenly distributed among children.
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