HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR INFECTIOUS-DISEASES IN JEWISH AND BEDOUIN CHILDREN IN SOUTHERN ISRAEL

Two different population groups reside in the Negev region of southern Israel and have equal, and free from financial barrier? access to ter tiary care at a single regional hospital. The Jewish population has a largely urban and industrialized lifestyle, while the Moslem Bedouins are in transition from their traditional nomadic life to settlement. T o examine the differences in morbidity patterns reflected in hospitali zations, the computerized hospitalization records of children < 15 yea rs of age, for 1989-1991 were used (n = 15,947). Rates of hospitalizat ions for infectious diseases were significantly higher for Bedouins in comparison to Jews (250 and 121/10,000 child years, respectively, odd s ratio (OR): 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.0-2.2, p < 0.001). Rates of hospitalization per 10,000 child years in Bedouins and Jews f or diarrhea were 114 and 32 (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 3.3-4.0, p < 0.001), res pectively, and for pneumonia 55 and 19 (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 2.6-3.3, p < 0.001), respectively. In infants the differences were even more pronou nced, especially for diarrheal diseases. In Bedouin children infectiou s diseases were associated with longer hospital stay, more pediatric I ntensive Care hospitalizations (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.7-4.5,p < 0.001), a nd higher in-hospital mortality (OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 2.8-12.2, p < 0.001) . Thus, Bedouin children are at higher risks of hospitalizations for i nfectious diseases in early childhood, as compared to Jewish children. This may reflect the differences in lifestyle, environmental and soci al conditions of the two populations.