Children with chronic health conditions in the Nordic countries in 1996 – influence of socio‐economic factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To give estimates of the prevalence of various chronic health conditions among children in the Nordic countries in 1996, and to describe socio‐demographic correlates of the chronic conditions. Design Analyses of the 1996 Nordic study on health and well‐being of children. Setting Nationally representative sample of non‐institutionalized children in the Nordic countries. Sample A total of approximately 10 000 children aged 2–17 years selected from population registries in Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Interventions None. Results The total prevalence of chronic health conditions among children in the Nordic countries was 14.5%. Asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were most frequent among the listed diagnostic categories, accounting for about half of the cases. With the exception of asthma, the prevalence of all the selected conditions varied across the Nordic countries. All the diagnostic categories showed a social gradient in prevalence. Thus, the prevalence was for all the diagnostic categories higher among children from low‐educated, worker or low‐income families when compared with families of higher social classes. The prevalence of asthma was, for instance, higher among children from low‐educated compared to high‐educated families [odds ratio (OR) = 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08–2.57], whereas the prevalence of eczema was higher in children from worker compared to white‐collar families (OR = 1.62, CI = 1.26–2.07). Conclusion The data presented in this article show that there is an association between low socio‐economic status and the prevalence of various selected chronic health conditions among children in the Nordic countries.