Health survey on the Ilha da Conceição, state of Rio de Janeiro, II: selected health characteristics in children

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: J. E Mules, G Entwisle, J. B. Coura, J Menezes
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 1970
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86821970000600008; https://doaj.org/article/c58ee28a35b54439abab8724f855fddc

As part of the health survey on the Ilha da Conceição, a 25 percent random sample of households was identified and a health guestionnaire completed at 236 households. These households contained 536 children, of whom 239 were under age six. Prenatal care had been obtained by 70 percent of the mothers during the pregnancies of the youngest children and 83 percent of these children had been born in hospital. The use of available health facilities was reported more frequently for the younger children in comparison to the older children. Over 90 percent of the children had been vaccinated against one or more diseases but only 50 to 60 percent of the children had complete vaccination against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus. Almost two-thirds of the stool specimens from the children revealed evidence of parasites and were most commonly found in children two to three years of age. Low hemoglobin values were found commonly under age three and hemoglobin leveis ábove 12 grams were not commonly found until age six. Compared with a North American standard for height and weight, proportionately more children on the Ilha da Conceição were found below the 25th and 3rd percentiles. These findings suggest that an improved health status for the children on the Ilha da Conceição would result from a household health record maintained at the island clinic including current information on vaccination status of all children, and a health education program focused on expectant mothers and the well baby clinic program.