Medicalization, implying that solutions to everyday or existential problems are being sought within the framework of the health care system, seems to be increasing. Morbidity has been related to socioeconomic status. This study aims at finding out how children perceive their own health condition and whether this is related to socioeconomic conditions. 192 pupils aged 12 years from a rural district and from two districts of Oslo with different socioeconomical conditions reported their health condition during the last school term by means of a questionnaire. There was a high prevalence of complaints from the children. 33% reported insomnia, and 14% had frequent episodes of headache. Nearly 50% reported the presence of one or more chronic diseases. The health problems were not related to gender or nationality. Except for dental health, we found no relation between reported sickness and the children's socioeconomic background.