LEAD-POISONING AND ASSOCIATED RISK-FACTORS AMONG PRESCHOOLERS ENROLLED IN A HEAD-START PROGRAM

Despite the fact that lead poisoning is one of the most common pediatr ic health problems in the United States today, little is known about t he prevalence and correlates of this disease among nonurban preschool children living in the southern United States. The purpose of this stu dy was to measure the prevalence of abnormal lead levels and to explor e the relationships between lead levels and gender, weight, hemoglobin , and ethnicity. Using a chart review protocol, data were collected fr om 81 charts of children enrolled in a Head Start program in Florida. The prevalence rate of elevated lead levels was 18.5%, a rate higher t han that found in most previous research. No relationship was found be tween lead levels and gender, weight, hemoglobin and ethnicity. The re sults highlight the importance of local screening efforts. Controversi es in screening are discussed in this article in some detail with the aim of assisting health care providers make decisions about whether un iversal screening for lead levels in children is appropriate and wheth er use of the Centers for Disease Control questionnaire has sufficient value. Further study is needed regarding prevalence rates in differen t geographic areas in the United States, and factors associated with e levated lead levels.