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Generation differences in hospital inpatient care of children aged 1 to 5 years
M E Wadsworth1, S L Mann, E Jones
1MRC National Survey of Health and Development, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine.
Insights
Childhood hospital admissions decreased in time spent but not proportion admitted across generations. Low birth weight infants accounted for a significant increase in inpatient days for the offspring generation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health Outcomes
- Intergenerational Health Trends
- Healthcare Utilization Studies
Background:
- Paediatric care has advanced significantly, reducing childhood mortality and serious illness risk.
- Understanding intergenerational shifts in healthcare utilization is crucial for public health planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare childhood hospital admissions between two generations (parents and their offspring).
- To analyze intergenerational differences in the risks and patterns of hospital admission for children aged 1 to 5 years.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a longitudinal birth cohort study in England, Wales, and Scotland.
- Included 5022 parent cohort members and their 2205 firstborn offspring, with hospital admission data verified.
- Focused on hospital admissions between ages 1 to 5 years for both generations.
Main Results:
- The offspring generation spent fewer days in hospital compared to their parents.
- The proportion of children ever admitted to hospital showed a minimal decrease of 1% across generations.
- Low birth weight infants (< 2500g) represented a disproportionately high and increasing percentage of inpatient days in the offspring generation (3% to 14%).
Conclusions:
- Despite improvements in paediatric care, the proportion of children requiring hospital admission remained similar across generations.
- Significant reductions in hospital stay duration were observed in the offspring generation.
- There was a notable increase in hospital admissions for low birth weight infants in the younger generation, highlighting a critical area for healthcare focus.
Study Objective:
To describe differences in childhood hospital admissions at ages 1 to 5 years in two generations, and to compare the intergenerational differences in risks of admission.
Design:
Information was taken from a longitudinal birth cohort study of a national sample and their firstborn offspring.
Setting:
England, Wales, and Scotland.
Subjects:
the 5022 birth cohort members for whom information is available from ages 1 to 5 years and their 2205 firstborn offspring.
Measurements And Main Results:
Data comprised reports of hospital admissions, which were checked with hospitals. Mean numbers of days spent in hospital were fewer in the offspring generation than in their parents, but the proportion ever admitted fell by only 1%. Low birth weight babies (< 2500 g), who comprised 6% of cohort births and 7% of the following generation, used a high proportion of all inpatient time in the offspring population, rising from 3% to 14% of all days of admission.
Conclusions:
Compared with the early years of the NHS, published statistics show that the effectiveness of paediatric care has improved greatly, and that childhood mortality and the risk of serious illness have decreased significantly. This study reports intergenerational changes in the reasons for hospital admission and shows, with the benefit of good denominator data, that although there was only a small intergenerational decrease in the proportion of children treated in hospital, there was a large reduction in the time spent in hospital and an increase in admissions of children of low birth weight.