1. Prevalence of cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, hearing loss, and blindness, National Health Interview Survey, 2009-2016
- Author
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Deborah Christensen, Nicole F. Dowling, Dana Olzenak McGuire, Lin H. Tian, and Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp
- Subjects
Male ,Hearing loss ,Developmental Disabilities ,Population ,Blindness ,Article ,Cerebral palsy ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Intellectual Disability ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Intellectual disability ,medicine ,Prevalence ,National Health Interview Survey ,Humans ,Disabled Persons ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Child ,Hearing Loss ,education.field_of_study ,Public health insurance ,business.industry ,Cerebral Palsy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,United States ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Demography ,Poverty level - Abstract
Background Developmental disabilities are present in a significant proportion of US children. Surveillance of developmental disabilities is crucial for monitoring population trends, guiding research into risk factors, and informing resource allocation. Objective/Hypothesis We examined overall prevalence, prevalence by demographic characteristics, and trends over time for cerebral palsy (CP), intellectual disability (ID), moderate to severe hearing loss (MSHL), and blindness. Methods Data from the 2009–2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed for children 3–17 years of age. Question wording was consistent over time except for ID, which changed in 2011 to replace the term “mental retardation.” Demographic differences and linear trends (over three time periods) were assessed by Chi-square tests and Wald-F tests. Results Prevalence estimates per 1000 children ages 3–17 years for CP, ID, MSHL, and blindness were 3.2 (95% CI: 2.7, 3.7), 11.1 (95% CI: 10.2, 12.1), 6.4 (95% CI: 5.6, 7.2), and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.0), respectively. Disability prevalence was higher for children with low birthweight and from families of lower parental education, income ≤200% of federal poverty level, and public insurance. Older children had higher ID prevalence; boys had significantly higher CP and ID prevalences. Only ID demonstrated a significantly increased trend over time (p = 0.0002). Conclusions We provide nationally representative prevalence estimates for four developmental disabilities; recent estimates are comparable to those from records-based studies. Prevalences were stable except for ID, which increased after 2010, coincident with the questionnaire change. A substantial number of US children continue to have these disabilities and service needs.
- Published
- 2018