A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF ARMY AND CIVILIAN BABIES IN A UK GARRISON TOWN

Army families in the UK have been observed to have a higher infant mor tality compared with the civilian population. Little is known about th e reasons for the higher mortality. We report a comparative study of t he health of army and civilian babies and their families in a UK garri son town, the aim being to investigate any differences in risk factors which may have explained the differences in mortality. A total of 250 first born army and civilian babies fulfilling the selection criteria were recruited to the study. Army babies had a lower birth weight dis tribution and both maternal and paternal smoking rates were higher in army families. In addition, social support and in particular, contact with close family members appeared to be available to fewer army mothe rs. The study highlighted the needs of this population and prompted a number of local health services to work together to address the issues it raised.