Abstract
BackgroundIn Western countries, many children are affected by the separation of their parents.The study’s main objective was to analyse the parental behaviours potentially influential for preschool children’s health by family structure (parents together or separated).MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study based on data collected from examinations as part of free preventive medical consultations in the French Community of Belgium. During the assessment of 30,769 infants aged 28 to 32 months, information was collected on the parents’ use of tobacco, brushing of the infant’s teeth, being monitored by a dentist, and receiving vision screening. The chi2 test was applied and the odds ratios were derived to compare the two groups of children (exposed/not exposed to parental separation). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust the effect of exposure.ResultsNearly one in ten (9.8%) did not live with both parents under the same roof. Taking into account the social and cultural environment and other potential confounders at our disposal, we found that in the event of parental separation, behaviours differ in comparison with situations where parents live together; the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval) for the infant’s exposure to tobacco, absence of teeth brushing, lack of monitoring by a dentist and absence of visual screening, were respectively 1.7 (1.2–2.0), 1.1 (0.9–1.2), 1.3 (1.1–1.6), 1.2 (1.1–1.2), and 1.2 (1.1–1.4).ConclusionsThis study confirms the suspicion that parental separation is an independent risk factor for parental behaviours that negatively influence the infant’s health. If these results are confirmed, this it could affect the work of the family doctors and paediatricians, especially in terms of family support and information to parents.
Highlights
In Western countries, many children are affected by the separation of their parents
For children aged under 3 years, data is collected at birth in the maternity hospital, on arrival home, and, for those who are seen at the Office of Birth and Childhood (ONE), between 7 and 11 months, 16 and 20 months, and 28 and 32 months
We studied the data from 30,769 children recorded in that manages vision screening (the ONE) database between 2006 and 2012 for whom there existed a preventive health assessment at 28 to 32 months after birth
Summary
In Western countries, many children are affected by the separation of their parents. In Belgium in 2011, the crude divorce rate was 2.9 per 1000 inhabitants, which is in line with in the rest of Europe, despite some North/South disparities This rate is similar in a number of other countries in Europe (e.g. Denmark and Germany) [1] and in other continents (United States, Canada and Australia) [2,3,4]. In Canada in 2011, 20% of people aged under 15 years were living with a single parent [6]. According to a longitudinal study of 3000 households, 20% of children aged 0 to 16 years were living in a single-parent family or stepfamily in Belgium in 2002 [8]
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