Health status of children in self-care
R. L. Williams and W. T. Boyce
Department of Pediatrics, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson.
Are children in self-care more obese, do they miss more school days, and do
they make more visits to the school health office than children not in
self-care? We undertook a cross-sectional survey of students in ten public
elementary schools in Tucson over a two-year period in an attempt to answer
these questions. The sample included 503 fifth-grade students, 137 in
self-care and 366 not in self-care. Demographic information and data on
school absences were obtained from school records. Physical examinations
were performed at school. Obesity was assessed using the body mass index
calculation, in which body mass index = (body weight in kilograms)/(height
in meters). Every visit to the school health office during the 1985-1986
and 1986-1987 school years was recorded for each child. There were no
differences in age between those in the self-care and adult-care groups.
Boys were more likely to be in self-care, as were non-Hispanic children.
There were no differences in weight, body mass index, school days missed,
or visits to the school health office between children in self-care and
those in adult care. Our findings suggest that, by the criteria used in
this study, 11-year-old children in self-care do not suffer more ill health
than their counterparts in adult care.
