Functional limitations of school-aged children seen in primary care

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care research
• Child health and development
• Functional limitations in children

Background:

• Functional limitations can impact a child's daily life and development.
• Identifying risk factors is crucial for early intervention in pediatric populations.
• Primary care settings offer opportunities to assess child functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of functional limitations in school-aged children within a large pediatric practice network.
• To identify sociodemographic, family, and psychosocial factors associated with functional limitations.
• To inform screening and intervention strategies for children experiencing functional impairments.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of data from 14,630 school-aged children (6-15 years) and their caregivers.
• Children were recruited from two primary care research networks.
• Parents completed validated questionnaires including the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, Family Apgar, and Functional Limitations Index.

Main Results:

• 15% of surveyed children exhibited limitations in daily functioning.
• Limitations were more common in schoolwork and physical function compared to personal/self-care.
• Logistic regression models identified sociodemographic factors, psychosocial symptoms, and family functioning as predictors of functional limitations.

Conclusions:

• A notable proportion of children in primary care settings experience functional limitations.
• Children with psychosocial symptoms face a higher risk of functional limitations.
• Screening for functional limitations is recommended, especially for children with behavioral or emotional concerns, and warrants further research.