Hospitalization of infants

The aim of this research is to analyze the social variables determining the demand for hospitalization of infants. Any knowledge about the influence of these social factors can help to plan medical services with the child's overall welfare in mind. The cohort of Jewish infants born in Jerusalem in 1973 was followed up for one year. We have data about 5456 infants who survived at least one year and had no malformations. Ten per cent of the group were hospitalized at least once from the age of 1–12 months, and the average stay was about 10 days. In our study the dependent variable is the number of hospitalization days for infants aged 1–12 months. The explanatory variables are birth weight, mother's continent of birth, both parents' formal education and residential area. Mother's age and birth order were examined but had no significant influence, so the regression was recalculated without them. The regression coefficients showed that investment in parents' schooling could be an efficient substitution to hospitalization of their infants.