HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Margolis, P A Articles by Boat, B W Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Margolis, P A Articles by Boat, B W

Lower respiratory illness in infants and low socioeconomic status.

P A Margolis, R A Greenberg, L L Keyes, L M LaVange, R S Chapman, F W Denny, K E Bauman and B W Boat

Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7490.

OBJECTIVES. Infants from families of low socioeconomic status are said to suffer higher rates of lower respiratory illness, but this assertion has not been carefully examined. METHODS. We studied the frequency and determinants of lower respiratory illness in infants of different socioeconomic status (n = 393) by analyzing data from a community-based cohort study of respiratory illness during the first year of life in central North Carolina. RESULTS. The incidence of lower respiratory illness was 1.41 in the low socioeconomic group, 1.26 in the middle group, and 0.67 in the high group. The prevalence of persistent respiratory symptoms was 39% in infants in the low socioeconomic group, 24% in infants in the middle group, and 14% in infants in the high group. The odds of persistent respiratory symptoms in infants of low and middle socioeconomic status were reduced after controlling for environmental risk factors for lower respiratory illness. Enrollment in day care was associated with an increased risk of persistent symptoms among infants of high but not low socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS. Infants of low socioeconomic status are at increased risk of persistent respiratory symptoms. This risk can be partly attributed to environmental exposures, most of which could be changed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. L. Kozyrskyj, A. G. Carrie, G. B. Mazowita, L. M. Lix, T. P. Klassen, and B. J. Law Decrease in antibiotic use among children in the 1990s: not all antibiotics, not all children Can. Med. Assoc. J., July 20, 2004; 171(2): 133 - 138. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Sinha, J. Madden, D. Ross-Degnan, S. Soumerai, and R. Platt Reduced Risk of Neonatal Respiratory Infections Among Breastfed Girls but Not Boys Pediatrics, October 1, 2003; 112(4): e303 - 303. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Seguin, Q. Xu, L. Potvin, M.-V. Zunzunegui, and K. L. Frohlich Effects of low income on infant health Can. Med. Assoc. J., June 10, 2003; 168(12): 1533 - 1538. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Thrane, C. Olesen, H. C. Schonheyder, and H. T. Sorensen Socioeconomic factors and prescription of antibiotics in 0- to 2-year-old Danish children J. Antimicrob. Chemother., March 1, 2003; 51(3): 683 - 689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L P Koopman, A Wijga, H A Smit, J C de Jongste, M Kerkhof, J Gerritsen, A P H Vos, R T van Strien, B Brunekreef, and H J Neijens Early respiratory and skin symptoms in relation to ethnic background: the importance of socioeconomic status; the PIAMA study Arch. Dis. Child., December 1, 2002; 87(6): 482 - 488. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. C. Castro, B. B. Lubker, D. M. Bryant, and M. Skinner Oral language and reading abilities of first-grade Peruvian children: Associations with child and family factors International Journal of Behavioral Development, July 1, 2002; 26(4): 334 - 344. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. O. Meyerink and G. S. Marquis Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among Low-Income Women in Alabama: The Importance of Personal and Familial Experiences in Making Infant-Feeding Choices J Hum Lact, February 1, 2002; 18(1): 38 - 45. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. L. Kozyrskyj, C. A. Mustard, and F. E. R. Simons Socioeconomic Status, Drug Insurance Benefits, and New Prescriptions for Inhaled Corticosteroids in Schoolchildren With Asthma Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, November 1, 2001; 155(11): 1219 - 1224. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. P. Koopman, H. A. Smit, M.-L. A. Heijnen, A. Wijga, R. T. van Strien, M. Kerkhof, J. Gerritsen, B. Brunekreef, J. C. de Jongste, and H. J. Neijens Respiratory Infections in Infants: Interaction of Parental Allergy, Child Care, and Siblings---The PIAMA Study Pediatrics, October 1, 2001; 108(4): 943 - 948. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Hopper and K. A. Craig Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Urban Children Pediatrics, October 1, 2000; 106(4): 47e - 47. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D. M. Lang and M. Polansky Patterns of Asthma Mortality in Philadelphia from 1969 to 1991 N. Engl. J. Med., December 8, 1994; 331(23): 1542 - 1546. [Abstract] [Full Text]