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The health of the preschool child

M Nowotny, P J Stretton

    The Medical Journal of Australia
    |April 7, 1979
    PubMed

    Insights

    A standardized preschool medical exam identified previously unrecognized disabilities in 26% of children. Disadvantaged children showed higher referral rates, highlighting the exam's value for early intervention.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Health
    • Developmental Pediatrics
    • Public Health Policy

    Background:

    • Victorian preschools implemented a standardized medical examination in 1977, combining neurodevelopmental screening and physical assessment for young children.
    • This initiative aimed to systematically evaluate child health within the preschool setting.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To verify the effectiveness of the standardized medical examination for preschool children.
    • To assess the prevalence of previously unrecognized disabilities and compare referral rates between different socioeconomic groups.

    Main Methods:

    • A random sample of 1012 preschool children was examined.
    • Children were drawn from both inner urban/disadvantaged outer urban and more advantaged preschool areas.
    • Data on referrals for disabilities were collected and compared between the two groups.

    Main Results:

    • A significant proportion of children, 264 (26%), required referral for previously unrecognized disabilities.
    • Children from disadvantaged areas had a higher referral rate (176, 34%) compared to those from advantaged areas (88, 17.6%).

    Conclusions:

    • The standardized medical examination is effective in identifying previously unrecognized disabilities in preschool children.
    • The examination is particularly valuable for detecting health disparities in disadvantaged populations.
    • Standardized assessments are crucial for consistent data collection and identifying epidemiological trends in child health.

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