Infant health and family functioning in a poor socio‐economic status multi‐ethnic municipality

In a longitudinal epidemiological study of 272 infants in a poor socio-economic, multi-ethnic municipality, the physical growth of infants was found to be within a normal range. Two percent of infants had major, and 2% minor developmental delays due mainly to congenital defects or psychosocial disturbance or neglect in the home. Although there was a high prevalence of episodic, continuing and recurrent illness, this caused little serious morbidity. The most significant finding was that approximately one third of mothers perceived their infants to have moderate or severe behavioural disturbances which were significantly associated with their own psychological ill-health. The findings from this urban population contrasted with previous studies. Serious infective illnesses, associated with poor physical and psychosocial environments, were no longer major health problems. These organic diseases in infants were largely replaced by behavioural and developmental disturbances, also associated with psychosocial problems in families.