Incidence of childhood accidents determined in a study based on home surveys.

A retrospective survey of accidents during a 12-month period was carried out at Vila Lobato in the town of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil using home surveys involving 25% of residences in this area. Variables relating to the accidents and data concerning the children involved were analyzed, i.e. sex, age, type of accident, place of occurrence, time of day, time of year, which part of the body was involved and the person accompanying the victim of the accident. There were 260 accidents during the year, mainly involving the 1-5-year (41.1%) and 5-10-year (33.1%) age ranges. The most frequent accidents were falls (46.9%), contusions (26.5%) and cuts (11.9%). Most accidents occurred at home (65.7%), followed by in the street (25.4%) and at school (6.1%). More accidents occurred in the late afternoon (49.6%) and during the summer months and school holidays (38.1%) than at other times. The lower limbs were the sites most often involved (36.9%), followed by the upper limbs (32.3%) and the head (25.4%). Most children (75.7%) were accompanied when they suffered an accident. Slightly more boys (55.4%) than girls (44.6%) had accidents. Statistical analysis of the results by the chi 2 test showed significant differences for all variables studied with respect to the occurrence of accidents (p < 0.05), except gender. The authors discuss the need to expand the debate on accidents and for the application of knowledge to prevent them occurring.

Comparison of four anthropometric methods of nutritional assessment and evaluation of the agreement between two reference populations.

A total of 841 children, aged 10 days to 5 years, seen at a primary health care centre in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, were studied in order to compare the methods of Gomez, Waterlow, Shakir, and Kanawati and McLaren and to determine the correlation between the Brazilian and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference populations, which are frequently used in Brazil. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, arm circumference, and head circumference) were made and personal data were obtained in order to evaluate nutritional status according to the above methods. The two reference populations were compared by the method of Gomez. The NCHS and the Brazilian reference populations were concordant. Comparison of the methods of Gomez and Shakir showed a very mild agreement in the evaluation of nutritional status. Comparison of Waterlow 'wasting' with Kanawati & McLaren and with Gomez showed a mild agreement.

[Longitudinal study of weight gain in premature infants from birth to the 6th post-term month]. / Estudo longitudinal da evolução ponderal de crianças pré-termo do nascimento até o sexto mês pós-termo.

The dynamics of weight gain were studied in 95 preterm adequate for gestational age infants between birth and their 6th post-term month. The infants were divided into 4 groups according to the number of weeks of gestation at birth, i.e., 33, 34, 35 and 36 weeks, respectively. To compare the results, weight gains were studied for each group of the same corrected ages up to the 64th week of post-menstrual age, corresponding to the 6th post-term month. Weight gain was small during the first 2 weeks of post-natal life but increased considerably over the subsequent weeks with an almost constant periodical increment (GRI) being maintained in all 4 groups during the first months of life. However, unit growth rate (UGR) reached its highest value during the first post-natal month and decreased a similarly in all 4 groups during the subsequent months, with values approximating to those reported for infants in developed countries.

[Correlation between maternal age, social class and smoking, and birth weight]. / Associação entre idade, classe social e hábito de fumar maternos com peso ao nascer.

An epidemiological survey was carried out in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, from June 1978 to May 1979. Interviews were held with mother of singleton live borne children, delivered in hospitals, which accounted for 98% of all births in the area. The higher percentages of low birthweight children related to the offspring of smokers, young mother and women belonging to the working class. The majority of young women were found in the working class and the prevalence of smoking was higher in the group of women below 20 years of age. There was no statistical difference in the smoking habit as between different social classes. A larger number of low birthweight children were observed in nonsmoking women of the working class than among women smokers of the middle class. A log model was adjusted to the data in order to study the possible multiple association of smoking, maternal age and social class with birthweight. The results indicated that maternal smoking, maternal age and social class had independent effects on birthweight. The was no interaction between them. These findings suggest that the higher prevalence of low birthweight in nonsmoking mothers of the working class in relation to smoking mothers of the middle class probably reflects clustering of other risk factors-such as poor education inadequate prenatal care, high parity and differences in reproductive behavior in women of the working class.

[Perinatal health: low birth weight and social class]. / Saúde perinatal: baixo peso e classe social.

A survey was carried out in Ribeirão Preto, S. Paulo State, Brazil, between June 1978 and May 1979 with a view to studying the prevalence of low birth weight and its occurrence among different social classes. Data were collected from 8,878 singleton live births in eight maternity hospitals, accounting for 98% of all births in the area. Social classes were determinated by the use of a model proposed by Singer and modified for epidemiological purposes by Barros. Out of the 8,878 births, 660 (7.5%) were of low birth weight. The prevalence of deficient weight at birth (between 2,500 and 2,999 grams) was of 21.1%. Analysis indicated that 50.6% of children with low birth weight were at term and the majority of them suffered form intrauterine growth retardation. The prevalence of low birth weight according to social class was seen to be lower in the bourgeoisie classes (ranging from 2.8% to 3.9%) and higher in working classes (from 7% up to 9.5%). Low birth weight (defined as less than or equal to 2,500 grams) was used for purposes of comparison with other previous surveys. The percentage was lower in this study (8.3%) than that found in the Interamerican Investigation of Mortality in Childhood (8.7%), carried out in 1968-70. No statistically significant differences in the percentage of low birth weight were found in the case of Ribeirão Preto when these two surveys were compared.