Related Experiment Videos
Hospitalization for pneumonia in children in Auckland, New Zealand
Insights
Pneumonia frequently hospitalized children in Auckland, New Zealand. Hospitalization rates were highest for Pacific Island children, indicating significant childhood illness in the region.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood hospitalization globally.
- Understanding local epidemiology is crucial for targeted public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiology of pediatric pneumonia hospitalizations in Auckland, New Zealand.
- To analyze hospitalization rates by ethnicity, age, and season.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of children hospitalized with pneumonia at Starship Children's Hospital (1993-1996).
- Inclusion of Pacific Island, Maori, and European/other children aged 0-14 years.
- Comparison of hospitalization numbers and rates across demographic groups and seasons.
Main Results:
- An average annual hospitalization rate of 5.0 per 1000 children (0-14 years).
- Significantly higher rates for Pacific Island (14.0/1000) and Maori (6.7/1000) children compared to European/other (2.7/1000).
- Over half of hospitalized children were under 2 years, with higher proportions in Pacific Island and Maori groups.
Conclusions:
- Pneumonia represented a substantial burden of childhood hospitalization in Auckland during the study period.
- Ethnicity was strongly associated with hospitalization rates, with Pacific Island children most affected.
- Pneumonia is a significant cause of pediatric morbidity in Auckland, necessitating focused prevention and treatment strategies.
Objective:
To describe the epidemiology of hospitalizations for pneumonia in children in Auckland, New Zealand.
Methods:
A consecutive sample of children hospitalised with pneumonia at the Starship Childrens Hospital from 1 July 1993 to 30 June 1996. Subjects were Pacific Island, Maori, and European/other children aged 0-14 years resident in north, west and central Auckland who were hospitalized with pneumonia. Comparisons were made of the number of hospitalisations by year, ethnicity, age and season; and of the hospitalisation rates by year, ethnicity and age.
Results:
There were 681 children who were hospitalized with pneumonia during 1993-94, 731 during 1994-95 and 630 during 1995-96. The average annual hospitalization rate was 5.0 per 1000 children aged 0-14 years (95% CI 4.8-5.2). The average annual hospitalisation rate for Pacific Island children was 14.0 per 1000 (95% CI 13.0-14.9), for Maori children 6.7 per 1000 (95% CI 6.0-7.4) and for European/other children was 2.7 per 1000 (95% CI 2.6-2.9). Fifty-three per cent of the hospitalised children were less than 2 years of age. A larger percentage of Pacific Island (61%) and Maori (60%) children were aged less than 2 years compared to European/other (42%) children (P < 0.001). There was marked seasonal variability in the number of hospitalizations, with peaks in hospitalizations corresponding to peaks in positive respiratory viral isolates.
Conclusions:
Pneumonia was a consistent cause of hospitalisation for a large number of Auckland children during this 3-year period. Hospitalisation rates and age distribution varied with ethnicity. Hospitalization rates were highest for Pacific Island. intermediate for Maori and lowest for European/other children. Based on these hospitalisation data, pneumonia is a significant cause of morbidity for children in Auckland, New Zealand.