[Study of socioeconomic home environment of children hospitalised at the Department of Paediatrics of Municipal Hospital in Łodz]

Med Wieku Rozwoj. 2007 Apr-Jun;11(2 Pt 1):173-7

Authors: Wosik-Erenbek M, Krenc Z, Mazurowski W

One of types of child abuse is lack of proper care concerning health and development. This was the motivation to carry out this study in hospitalised children in our Department. AIM: analysis of socioeconomic home environment of children hospitalised in the Department of Paediatrics of municipal hospital, situated in the centre of Łodz city. MATERIAL AND METHOD: the analysis was carried out in 618 children (326 girls and 292 boys), aged from 3 to 18 years, hospitalised in the Department of Paediatrics during the year 2006. The following factors were analysed, cause of admission, family structure, parental legal situation, parents education, parents (or guardians) occupation, number of siblings, living conditions. RESULTS: concerning living conditions: 9.2% studied children lived in one room with 4 or more persons, 5% children were from residential care, the homes of 40% families locked basic sanitary standards. Data concerning mothers: 63% had primary education, 41.7% were working, 2.9% were either dead or did not live with the family, 4.5% had reduced or no parental rights. Data concerning fathers: 50.2% had primary education, 26.5% were not working, 17.2% were dead or were not living with the family, 7.4% had reduced or no parented rights. Analysis of cause of admission and number of hospitalisations of these children may be related to insufficient care for their well being and development, in a significant on part of parents or other care gives. CONCLUSIONS: In the home setting of a large part of children treated in our Paediatric Department of the Lodz Municipal Hospital the study indicated gross evidence of poverty, which may have led to health neglect. This shows the need for more precise studies. The present results will serve as guidelines for elaboration and implementation of a more complex and effective programme for prevention of factors of health neglect, which is one of the elements of child abuse.

PMID: 17625288 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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