Fergusson D M, Horwood J, Shannon F T
N Z Med J. 1981 Jul 22;94(688):37-41.
The standards of health and health care for a sample of 1265 Christchurch children during the period birth to three years were examined. There was a systematic tendency for levels of health care and morbidity to vary with the child's birth placement: in general adopted children had the best standard of health care and the lowest rates of morbidity; children who entered single parent families at birth had the poorest standards of health care and the highest rates of morbidity. Statistical control for family social background including maternal age, education, ethnic status, family size and changes of residence tended to reduce the size of the observed differences. However, even when the results were controlled for these factors children in single parent families still has depressed levels of preventive health care and higher rates of hospital admission. Possible explanations of the differences are discussed.
对1265名克赖斯特彻奇儿童从出生到三岁期间的健康和医疗保健标准进行了调查。医疗保健水平和发病率呈现出随孩子出生时家庭状况不同而变化的系统性趋势：一般来说，领养儿童的医疗保健标准最高，发病率最低；出生时进入单亲家庭的儿童医疗保健标准最差，发病率最高。对包括母亲年龄、教育程度、种族状况、家庭规模和居住变化在内的家庭社会背景进行统计控制，往往会缩小观察到的差异。然而，即使对这些因素进行了结果控制，单亲家庭中的儿童预防性医疗保健水平仍然较低，住院率较高。文中讨论了这些差异可能的解释。
