HEALTH-STATUS OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER-CARE - THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CENTER-FOR-THE-VULNERABLE-CHILD

Objectives: To describe the health status and to illustrate the useful ness of an enhanced primary care model for children in foster care. De sign: Cross-sectional analysis of a clinical cohort via chart review. Setting: Foster Care Program of the Center for the Vulnerable Child at the Children's Hospital, Oakland, Calif. Subjects: Two hundred thirte en children in foster care assessed between August 1988 and June 1991. Interventions: None. Methods: A multidisciplinary assessment protocol was used to collect health and social histories and to conduct develo pmental, emotional, and behavioral assessments and medical examination s. Cross-tabulations were used to compare distributions of conditions and characteristics of the population, including the reasons for, timi ng of, and number of placements. Results: The population was largely A frican-American (83.4%), with a mean age of approximately 3 years. At least 78% of children came from homes where drug use was a primary rea son for placement. A history of maternal drug use was present in 94% o f infants. The number of placements ranged from one to eight (mean, 2. 0). Placement changes were common. Over 20% of children had growth abn ormalities, 30% had neurologic abnormalities, and 16% had asthma. Fewe r than 20% of children had no medical conditions, while 28.8% had thre e or more conditions. Over 80% of children had developmental, emotiona l, or behavioral problems. Emotional, relational, and behavioral probl ems were more common in children first placed after 2 years of age and in those with a greater number of placements (chi(2)=12.6, P<.05). Co nclusion: This comprehensive assessment of children in foster care rev ealed higher rates of chronic multiple medical and mental health probl ems than previously reported.