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Ascertaining the prevalence of childhood disability

T Hutchison1, D Gordon

  • 1Child Health Department, Bath and North-east Somerset Primary Care Trust, Bath,UK. tom.hutchinson@banes-pct.nhs.uk

Child: Care, Health and Development
|January 22, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This study found that direct carer reports are effective for assessing childhood disability, offering comparable results to medical records. Revisions to the 1985 Office of Population Census and Surveys (OPCS) disability criteria are suggested for future use.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Disability Studies
  • Public Health Research

Background:

  • The 1985 Office of Population Census and Surveys (OPCS) disability survey methods were established for adult populations.
  • Applying these methods to children requires adaptation and validation against other data sources.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To adapt and reapply 1985 OPCS disability survey methods to a pediatric sample.
  • To compare disability prevalence derived from OPCS criteria with carer reports and medical records.
  • To evaluate the suitability of modified OPCS criteria for assessing childhood disability.

Main Methods:

  • An analytical study conducted in a UK Community Child Health Department.
  • Inclusion of principal carers of 100 children (aged 5-15) from a district special needs register.
  • Comparison of disability data from three sources: modified OPCS criteria, carer interviews, and existing medical records.

Main Results:

  • Medical records contained diagnoses in 46% of cases, with carers generally aware.
  • Modified OPCS criteria showed similar prevalence to medical and carer data for certain functions (Hand, Personal care, Consciousness, Continence).
  • Higher prevalence was noted for Locomotion, Communication, and Hearing using OPCS criteria; Vision data showed significant disagreement due to differing definitions.
  • Substituted criteria (Standard Attainment Targets for learning, General Health and Behaviour Questionnaire for behavior) provided comparable prevalence figures to carers and medical records, with GHBQ indicating increased problems.

Conclusions:

  • Diagnostic labels have limited utility in assessing disability in children.
  • The validity of some 1985 OPCS threshold criteria is questionable, necessitating reassessment.
  • Direct carer reports are a practical and effective method for collecting population disability data, with caution for vision assessment.
  • Further research is recommended for Standard Attainment Targets and the General Health and Behaviour Questionnaire in disability benchmarking.
Abstract

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