Examines the health status of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese refugee children recently arrived in the United States. Data were collected from 100 medical records of children between the ages of 2 weeks and 17 years who received a health screening in the early 1980s at Oakland Children’s Hospital, in California. Among the findings were that: (1) nearly one third of the children tested tuberculin positive, although there were no cases of active tuberculosis; (2) more than half the children harbored multiple parasites; (3) more than two thirds of the children had severe dental caries; and (4) almost a third of the group, and half of the Cambodian children, suffered from anemia. The screening procedures that were used to assess the health status of the children were found to be both effective and straightforward. Moreover, the incidence of positive tuberculin tests highlights the importance of accurate testing and follow-up. Nutritional counseling also would benefit these children, especially those who became intrigued with American “junk food” and overindulged in sugary foods, putting their already compromised nutritional status in further jeopardy. Pediatricians attending refugee children need to take into account parents’ health beliefs that might undermine compliance with medical regimens.
