Health problems and care in young families : load of illness and patterns of illness behaviour
Sammanfattning
During a winter month 185 young suburban families reported in a diary on perceived health problems and measures taken in response to these problems. Information on socio-economical factors, medical experience and structure of the social network was obtained from a mailed questionnaire. As a mean every fourth individual-day a health problem was recorded. The majority (61 %) of symptoms were infectious and only 14 % of illness days were classified as severe. The demands for professional help was dependent on type and severity of symptoms, duration of illness episodes as well as on the category of family member.