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Health status of siblings of hospitalized children
1Department of Pediatrics, GR Medical College and Kamla Raja Hospital, Gwalior, India.
Insights
Siblings of hospitalized children exhibit significant health risks, including poor immunization rates and malnutrition. Early health screening is crucial for this high-risk pediatric group to improve health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Family Health
Background:
- Children hospitalized for illness often share environments and nutritional factors with their siblings.
- Assessing the health status of these siblings is vital for understanding familial health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the health status of siblings of children admitted to the hospital.
- To identify common health issues and nutritional deficiencies in this sibling cohort.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 308 siblings of 200 hospitalized children.
- Data collection included medical history, anthropometry, physical examinations, and laboratory tests.
Main Results:
- Low immunization rates: only 43.83% fully immunized, with 30.85% unimmunized.
- High prevalence of malnutrition (79.57% with Grade I-IV) and common morbidities like Vitamin A deficiency (22.40%) and worm infestation (21.42%).
- Other prevalent conditions included anemia (19.15%), dental caries (13.63%), acute respiratory infections (13.31%), and diarrhea (12.01%).
Conclusions:
- Siblings of hospitalized children represent a vulnerable population with significant health challenges.
- Early health screening and intervention are recommended to mitigate risks and improve overall child health.
- Addressing environmental and nutritional factors is key to preventing disease in this high-risk group.
Objective:
To study health status of siblings of children hospitalized for various diseases.
Methods:
A total of 308 siblings of 200 hospitalized children were studied by detailed history, anthropometry, physical examination and relevant laboratory tests.
Results:
Only 43.83% siblings were fully immunized, 25.32% partially and 30.85% were totally unimmunized. Normal nutritional status was seen in 20.43% siblings; 26.95% had grade 1, 25.64% grade II, 24.02% grade III and 2.92% had grade IV malnutrition. Various morbid conditions were observed in siblings, the common ones were vit. A deficiency (22.40%), worm infestation (21.42%), anemia (19.15%), dental caries (13.63%), ARI (13.31%), diarrhoea (12.01%), malaria (7.46%) and scabies (7.14%).
Conclusion:
The siblings of hospitalized children are in a high-risk group as they share same environment and nutrition. They have various ailments in various stages of severity. The health screening of such children will have a positive impact in promoting health and diagnosing diseases at an early stage.
