AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION IN A NORTHERN SWEDISH COUNTY

The health and nutritional status of 1 401 children aged 4, 8 and 13 years in one urban area and two rural areas of a northern Swedish county were studied. In none of the age groups was there any undernutrition. Anthropometrical measurements reflected the good nutritional status, with height and weight generally conforming to current values of a Swedish urban population. The girls had significantly thicker skinfolds than the boys. The children in the city of Umea had thicker skinfolds than the children in the mountain foreland and were also significantly taller. There was a rather high frequency of subclinical upper respiratory infections among the children, especially among the 4-year-olds.