Health Situation Analysis of Thai Children Aged 1-5 Years in 2010: Implications for Health Education and Health Service Reform
Arunee Jetsrisuparb MD*, Jamaree Teeratakulpisarn MD*, Wiboon Weraarchakul MD*, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD**, Sumitr Sutra MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : To make the world fit for children is a task necessarily involves all organizations working with children. The
real health situation will be useful for strategic planning for them.
Objective : To emphasize Thailand’s health burdens of children between 1 and 5 years in 2010.
Material and Method: The authors analyzed the fiscal 2010 data from the three health insurance schemes from hospitals
nationwide for information on: out-patient and in-patient visits, common illnesses of Thai children between 1 and 5 years,
lengths of stay, hospital charges and deaths. Most (96%) of the population was represented in this data.
Results : Respiratory infection was the most common admission (225,183 times) while intestinal infection was the second
(83,293 times). Respiratory infection was the second most common for an out-patient visit (7, 387,132 times = 23.6%) after
other factors influencing health (17,384,963 times = 55.5%). The most common causes of death were injury and poisoning
(178 patients) and respiratory infection (175 patients). Pneumonia required the most budget and resulted in the longest stays.
Among accidents, accidental drowning and submersion caused the most deaths.
Conclusion : Respiratory infection, pneumonia, intestinal infection, injuries, poisoning and accidental drowning were the
most common health burdens among children between 1 and 5 years of age.
Keywords : Health burdens, Thai Children, Age 1-5 years, Pre-school, Illness
