Skip to main content
PMC home page
Canadian Family Physician logoLink to Canadian Family Physician
. 1998 Sep;44:1869–1877.

Disease patterns among Canadian aboriginal children. Study in a remote rural setting.

S B Harris 1, R Glazier 1, K Eng 1, L McMurray 1
PMCID: PMC2277859  PMID: 9789667

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe disease patterns among children in an isolated aboriginal community, and to compare them with patterns found among other aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadian children. DESIGN: Retrospective review of logbooks and patient charts extracted from nursing station records for all visits to the community's nursing station between April 1, 1990, and March 31, 1991. SETTING: An isolated aboriginal community located in northwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: All aboriginal children younger than 5 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Disease-specific incidence per 100 person-years by age, sex, and season. RESULTS: Upper and lower respiratory tract infections, skin conditions, otitis media, and chickenpox were the leading causes of illness. Except for chickenpox, these illnesses occurred at a significantly higher rate among infants than among children 1 to 4 years old. No important differences were found by sex for any condition, except asthma where boys predominated. Autumn and winter seasonal patterns were most evident for respiratory tract infections. The rate of illness for most conditions was higher than that reported among other aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadian children. CONCLUSIONS: The illnesses most frequently seen in these children are respiratory tract infections and skin conditions. Etiologic factors are likely to be related to multiple interacting forces (both environmental and genetic) and require further investigation.

Full text

PDF
1871

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adams M. S., Brown K. S., Iba B. Y., Niswander J. D. Health of Papago Indian children. Public Health Rep. 1970 Dec;85(12):1047–1061. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bailey W. Child morbidity in the Kingston metropolitan area, Jamaica 1983. Soc Sci Med. 1988;26(11):1117–1124. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(88)90187-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Daigler G. E., Markello S. J., Cummings K. M. The effect of indoor air pollutants on otitis media and asthma in children. Laryngoscope. 1991 Mar;101(3):293–296. doi: 10.1288/00005537-199103000-00013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Daly K. A. Epidemiology of otitis media. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 1991 Aug;24(4):775–786. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dunn E. V., Higgins C. A. Comparisons of two types of nonphysician providers using episode based data. J Rural Health. 1987 Jul;3(2):11–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1987.tb00164.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dunn E. V., Higgins C. A. Health problems encountered by three levels of providers in a remote setting. Am J Public Health. 1986 Feb;76(2):154–159. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.2.154. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ellestad-Sayed J., Coodin F. J., Dilling L. A., Haworth J. C. Breast-feeding protects against infection in Indian infants. Can Med Assoc J. 1979 Feb 3;120(3):295–298. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Evers S. E., Rand C. G. Morbidity in Canadian Indian and non-Indian children in the first year of life. Can Med Assoc J. 1982 Feb 1;126(3):249–252. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Evers S. E., Rand C. G. Morbidity in Canadian Indian and non-Indian children in the second year. Can J Public Health. 1983 May-Jun;74(3):191–194. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Forman M. R., Graubard B. I., Hoffman H. J., Beren R., Harley E. E., Bennett P. The Pima infant feeding study: breastfeeding and respiratory infections during the first year of life. Int J Epidemiol. 1984 Dec;13(4):447–453. doi: 10.1093/ije/13.4.447. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Foy H. M., Cooney M. K., Maletzky A. J., Grayston J. T. Incidence and etiology of pneumonia, croup and bronchiolitis in preschool children belonging to a prepaid medical care group over a four-year period. Am J Epidemiol. 1973 Feb;97(2):80–92. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a121492. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Glezen P., Denny F. W. Epidemiology of acute lower respiratory disease in children. N Engl J Med. 1973 Mar 8;288(10):498–505. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197303082881005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gold R., Wilt J. C., Adhikari P. K., Macpherson R. I. Adenoviral pneumonia and its complications in infancy and childhood. J Can Assoc Radiol. 1969 Dec;20(4):218–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Goodwin M. H., Jr, Shaw J. R., Feldman C. M. Distribution of otitis media among four Indian populations in Arizona. Public Health Rep. 1980 Nov-Dec;95(6):589–594. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Herbert F. A., Mahon W. A., Wilkinson D., Morgante O., Burchak E. C., Costopoulos L. B. Pneumonia in Indian and Eskimo infants and children. I. A clinical study. Can Med Assoc J. 1967 Feb 4;96(5):257–265. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Houston C. S., Weiler R. L., Habbick B. F. Severity of lung disease in Indian children. Can Med Assoc J. 1979 May 5;120(9):1116–1121. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Houston C. S., Weiler R. L., MacKay R. W. Native children's lung. J Can Assoc Radiol. 1979 Dec;30(4):218–222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Macpherson R. I., Cumming G. R., Chernick V. Unilateral hyperlucent lung: a complication of viral pneumonia. J Can Assoc Radiol. 1969 Dec;20(4):225–231. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Marsland D. W., Wood M., Mayo F. Content of family practice. Part I. Rank order of diagnoses by frequency. Part II. Diagnoses by disease category and age/sex distribution. J Fam Pract. 1976 Feb;3(1):37–68. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Monto A. S., Ullman B. M. Acute respiratory illness in an American community. The Tecumseh study. JAMA. 1974 Jan 14;227(2):164–169. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Morris K., Morgenlander M., Coulehan J. L., Gahagen S., Arena V. C., Morganlander M. Wood-burning stoves and lower respiratory tract infection in American Indian children. Am J Dis Child. 1990 Jan;144(1):105–108. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1990.02150250117047. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Morrison H. I., Semenciw R. M., Mao Y., Wigle D. T. Infant mortality on Canadian Indian Reserves 1976-1983. Can J Public Health. 1986 Jul-Aug;77(4):269–273. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Murphy T. F., Henderson F. W., Clyde W. A., Jr, Collier A. M., Denny F. W. Pneumonia: an eleven-year study in a pediatric practice. Am J Epidemiol. 1981 Jan;113(1):12–21. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113061. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Neuwelt P. M., Kearns R. A., Hunter D. J., Batten J. Ethnicity, morbidity and health service utilization in two Labrador communities. Soc Sci Med. 1992 Jan;34(2):151–160. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(92)90092-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Orr S. T., Miller C. A., James S. A. Differences in use of health services by children according to race. Relative importance of cultural and system-related factors. Med Care. 1984 Sep;22(9):848–853. doi: 10.1097/00005650-198409000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Oseasohn R., Skipper B. E., Tempest B. Pneumonia in a Navajo community: a two-year experience. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1978 Jun;117(6):1003–1009. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1978.117.6.1003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Robinson G. C., Evans R. G. A survey of pediatric hospital utilization by Indian children in British Colombia. Can J Public Health. 1973 Mar;64(2):154–160. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Rogers K. D., Ernst R., Shulman I., Reisinger K. S. Effectiveness of aggressive follow-up on Navajo infant health and medical care use. Pediatrics. 1974 May;53(5):721–725. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Roghmann K. J., Hoekelman R. A., McInerny T. K. The changing pattern of primary pediatric care: update for one community. Pediatrics. 1984 Mar;73(3):363–374. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Soman C. R., Damodaran M., Rajasree S., Kutty V. R., Vijayakumar K. High morbidity and low mortality--the experience of urban preschool children in Kerala. J Trop Pediatr. 1991 Feb;37(1):17–24. doi: 10.1093/tropej/37.1.17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Upadhyay Y. N., Gerrard J. W. Recurrent pneumonia in Indian children. Ann Allergy. 1969 May;27(5):218–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Valberg L. S., Birkett N., Haist J., Zamecnik J., Pelletier O. Evaluation of the body iron status of native Canadians. Can Med Assoc J. 1979 Feb 3;120(3):285–289. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Wenman W. M., Pagtakhan R. D., Reed M. H., Chernick V., Albritton W. Adenovirus bronchiolitis in Manitoba: epidemiologic, clinical, and radiologic features. Chest. 1982 May;81(5):605–609. doi: 10.1378/chest.81.5.605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Whalen E. A., Caulfield L. E., Harris S. B. Prevalence of anemia in First Nations children of northwestern Ontario. Can Fam Physician. 1997 Apr;43:659–664. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Young T. K. Mortality pattern of isolated Indians in northwestern Ontario: a 10-year review. Public Health Rep. 1983 Sep-Oct;98(5):467–475. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Young T. K. Primary health care for isolated Indians in Northwestern Ontario. Public Health Rep. 1981 Sep-Oct;96(5):391–397. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Young T. K. The Canadian North and the Third World: is the analogy appropriate? Can J Public Health. 1983 Jul-Aug;74(4):239–241. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. van den Bosch W. J., Huygen F. J., van den Hoogen H. J., van Weel C. Morbidity in early childhood: differences between girls and boys under 10 years old. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Sep;42(362):366–369. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Family Physician are provided here courtesy of College of Family Physicians of Canada

RESOURCES