1 Department of Health of the City of New York
Random samples of infants born in an interracial slum and a middle-class neighborhood were followed during the first year of life by monthly home interviews conducted by trained lay interviewers. Mothers were asked about infants' health and medical care. Caucasian infants had an average of 6.9 conditions per year; 4.0 conditions per infant were seen by a physician. Corresponding data for Negro infants are: 6.9 conditions, 4.1 seen; for Spanish infants: 8.0 conditions, 4.4 seen. Repeated interviewing tends to minimize these rates. Colds, rashes, teething, and gastrointestinal disturbances accounted for half of the health troubles. Most of the common conditions seen by physicians were similar in the three ethnic groups. Auxilliary health workers, properly trained, could share in the delivery of medical care to infants in a variety of settings.
Submitted on October 14, 1969