All issues > Volume 18(4); 1975

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1975;18(4):300-308. Published online April 30, 1975.

Some Prevalent Medical Problems of Children in Doctorless Area(Effectiveness of mobile medical team activities)

Hyung Ro Moon¹

¹Department of Pediatrics College of Medicine, Seoul National University Seoul, Korea

Abstract

A survey was carried out on some prevalent medical problems of children living in a doctorless area during the period of July 26 to July 29, 1973. Total two-hundred eighty-eight children among four-hundred fourty-two children who attended a mobile medical team organized by the Student Body of College of Medrcine, Seoul National University were observed for age, sex, chief complaints, and presence and absence of pyodermas, dental carieses, missing teeth and filled teeth as well as helminthiasis. The following results were obtained: There were one-hundred fifty-five boys and one-hundred eighteen girls excluding fifteen children whose sexes were unrecorded. Distribution of children according to age groups revealed 0~1 year, 22%; 2~6 years, 34%; 7~12 years, 33% and 13~15 years, 11%. Children’s illnesses classified symptomatologically based on chief complaints in order of decreasing frequency were skin diseases, abdomial pain, otorrhea, otalgia and/or hearing difficulty, cough, diarrhea, headache and/or dizziness, fever, eye diseases, growth and developmental retardations, enuresis and others. Perleche or angular stomatitis was observed in 26% of total children examined. None of sixty two infants revealed the lesion. The rates were 17% in 2~6 years group, 48% in 7~12 years: group and 40% in 13~15 years group. Chronic purulent otorrhea was observed in 10% of total children surveyed [and the most of children who had otorrhea revealed pyoderma as well. The rates of children with chronic otorrhea were 5% in 0~ 1 year group, 6% in 2~6 years group, 15% in 7~12 years group and 10% in 13~15 years group. Twenty-three per cent of total children surveyed had various forms of pyodermas such as impetigo contagiosa, ecthyma, folliculitis, furuncle and carbuncle; warts, 12% ;wounds including insect bites, 8%; tinea capitis and tinea corporis, 4%; contact dermatitis, eczema and seborrhea,4%; intertrigo, 4% and scabies, 1%. Among two-hundred fourteen children excluding seventy-four young children before completion of primary dentition, the frequencies of decayed teeth, missing teeth and filled teeth were 19%, 13% and respectively. The frequency of positive stool among one-hundred fifteen children examined for ova and parasites was 84%. The incidences of various forms of ova revealed were ascaris lumbricoides, fertilized, 60% unfertilized, 22%; Trichocephalus trichiurus, 33%; Trichostrongylus orientalis,. 3%» Taenia species, 2% and Enterobius vermicularis, 2%, The effectiveness of mobile medical units activities in reducing the prevalent medical problems of children in doctorless area was discussed in general. Accessibility of comprehensive health care for all children can cnly be achieved by initation： of universal, compulsory government-sponsored insurance program and organizatioa of national health services so that the former serves to remove economic barriers for medical care and the latter to lessen gaps in the distribution of health services and personnel.

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