Socioeconomic differences in use of medical care and antibiotics among schoolchildren in Sweden

Background: Studies of mortality among children and adults in Sweden have d emonstrated considerable socioeconomic differences. This paper describes so cioeconomic patterns of physical morbidity and use of medical care and anti biotics in schoolchildren in Sweden. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on parent interviews from the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions in 1996- 1997 was used. The study population consisted of 3,557 children aged 6-15 y ears. Results: Forty-five percent of the schoolchildren in the study were r eported to have been absent from school because of illness at least once du ring the previous three months, 8% were taking regular medication and 10% h ad ever suffered from a chronic disorder. There were no indications of soci oeconomic differences according to the education of the responding parent i n morbidity or use of consultations with a physician. However, children in families where the responding parents had primary education only consumed a ntibiotics less often (OR 0.7 and Cl: 0.5-0.9) when compared to children in families with post-secondary education. Children in rural areas used consu ltations with a physician less often and consumed less antibiotics (adjuste d OR 0.7 and Cl: 0.4-0.9 and 0.7 and Cl: 0.5-0.9 respectively). Conclusion: No obvious patterns of socioeconomic inequality in physical morbidity or u se of medical care were identified among schoolchildren in Sweden. Further studies are needed in order to explain the social inequality in consumption of antibiotics among schoolchildren in Sweden and to describe social and r egional patterns of psychiatric, behavioural and psychosomatic morbidity.