Regulatory disorders in Israeli infants: epidemiologic perspective

The concept of regulatory disorders has been clinically defined. However, epidemiologic validity has not yet been investigated. Children between the ages of 6 and 36 months (N = 450) were included in the study. Two age groups were analyzed separately: 6 to 17 months (53%) and 18 to 36 months (47%). A specially designed questionnaire in Arabic and Hebrew pertaining to the physiologic and behavioral aspects of regulatory disorders was administered at the mother and child health clinics in northern Israel. It was established in the present study that a minimum of four regulatory items should be reported for the diagnosis of a regulatory disorder, as perceived by parents. Factor analysis revealed 6 and 10 different aggregates of regulatory items in the young and older age groups, respectively. The general prevalence of regulatory disorder as defined in the present study was found to be 18%. Age, maternal education, and sex were found to be significantly related to the prevalence of regulatory disorders. No difference in the prevalence of regulatory disorders between Arab and Jewish infants was found. Further validations of the concept of regulatory disorder as well as devising appropriate measurements in well-designed studies are warranted.