[Health checkup for 3- to 4-year-old children: results of screening tests performed in 1999 by physicians in the Maternal and Infant Welfare program in the Gironde region]. / Les bilans de santé des enfants de 3-4 ans: résultats des dépistages réalisés en 1999 par les médecins du service de protection maternelle et infantile de Gironde.

BACKGROUND: In the Gironde region, the physicians of the Mother and Infant Welfare department in charge of the 3- to 4-year-old childrens' health checkup have set up a public health approach which led to new practical methods of screening tests in 1999. These have been used to evaluate the children's health problems of that age group in the region. POPULATION AND METHODS: This study concerned 12,421 children born in 1995, attending the nursery schools of Gironde, who underwent a health checkup (visual and hearing screening test, language and behaviour exploration) in 1999. RESULTS: Among them, 5,208 children failed screenings. One child out of six had language disorders, one child out of seven presented amblyopia, one out of eight suffered from behavioral problems and one child out of nine from a hearing defect. Furthermore, one out of three children who failed the test had several problems. CONCLUSION: This study has enabled us to objectify the frequency of the troubles and their association, this information being particularly useful for evaluating these children's health needs and to help improve their healthcare management.