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Child morbidity as described by hospital admissions for primary school aged children in Tonga 2009-2013
Fiona Catherine Langridge1, Sione Vaioleti Hufanga2, Malakai Mahunui 'Ofanoa3
1PhD Candidate, Departments of Pacific Health, Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland.
Insights
Inpatient hospitalizations for Tongan children aged 5-11 years were analyzed. Injury, infectious diseases, and respiratory conditions were leading causes, with higher rates in younger children and boys.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health in Oceania
Background:
- Understanding pediatric inpatient utilization is crucial for resource allocation in developing nations.
- Tonga's healthcare system faces unique challenges in addressing child health needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize inpatient admission patterns for primary school-aged children in Tonga.
- To identify key conditions driving pediatric hospitalizations in the region.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of hospital admission data for children aged 5-11 years.
- Data collected from Tonga's main hospital between January 2009 and December 2013.
- Statistical comparison of admission rates using rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- 1,816 admissions were recorded, with an average annual rate of 20.2 per 1,000 children.
- Admission rates were significantly higher in younger children (5-7 years) and boys.
- Top admission reasons included injury/poisoning (28%), infectious diseases (19%), and respiratory conditions (16%).
Conclusions:
- Five condition groups accounted for 85% of pediatric admissions in Tonga.
- Findings highlight priority areas for healthcare interventions and resource allocation.
- Data provides a baseline for future health outcome comparisons within the Pacific region.
Aims:
To describe inpatient utilisation patterns for primary school aged children in Tonga.
Methods:
We described admissions for children aged 5-11 years to the main hospital in Tonga from January 2009 to December 2013. Rates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were compared using rate ratios (RR).
Results:
There were 1,816 admissions. The average annual admission rate was 20.2/1,000 (95% CI 19.3-21.1). Hospital admission rates were higher in younger than older children (5-7 versus 8-11 years, RR=1.28, 95% CI 1.18-1.41) and in boys than girls (RR=1.52, 95% CI 1.38-1.68). Injury and poisoning (28%), non-respiratory infectious diseases (19%), respiratory conditions (16%), abdominal/surgical conditions (13%) and dental (9%) were the most frequent admission reasons. A larger proportion of younger versus older children were hospitalised for dental (16% vs 1%, P<0.001) or respiratory conditions (18% vs 14%, P=0.02). A larger proportion of older children were hospitalised for abdominal/surgical conditions (15% vs 11%, P=0.008), other infectious diseases (21% vs 17%, P=0.04), other conditions (10% vs 6%, P<0.001) and cardiac conditions (2% vs 1%, P<0.001).
Conclusions:
In children 5-11 years in Tonga, 85% of admissions were for five groups of conditions. These data inform priority areas for healthcare spending and enable comparisons over time and between different Pacific countries.
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