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Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Hospital admissions in children with developmental disabilities from ethnic minority backgrounds
Ifrah Abdullahi1,2, Kingsley Wong1, Nicholas de Klerk1
1Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Insights
Hospital admission rates for Australian children vary by disability status and maternal background. Indigenous children without disabilities and those with cerebral palsy, especially from minority backgrounds, faced higher admission risks.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Public Health
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Hospital admission patterns after the first year of life can differ significantly among children based on disability status and socio-demographic factors.
- Understanding these disparities is crucial for targeted healthcare interventions and resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hospital admission patterns in Australian children with and without developmental disabilities after their first year of life.
- To examine the influence of maternal country of birth and Indigenous status on these admission patterns.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study utilizing linked Western Australian data from health, disability, and hospital admission databases.
- Inclusion of 656,174 children born between 1983 and 2008, with analysis of 1,091,834 hospital admission records.
Main Results:
- Children with no known disability born to Indigenous mothers had the highest admission rates compared to non-Indigenous mothers.
- Among children with disabilities, those born to foreign-born mothers from low-income countries exhibited the highest admission rates.
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP), with or without intellectual disability, showed the highest admission rates, particularly if their mothers were foreign-born.
Conclusions:
- Hospital admission patterns in Australian children are influenced by both disability status and maternal country of birth.
- Indigenous children without developmental disabilities and children with CP, particularly those from minority backgrounds (Indigenous Australian and foreign-born mothers), face elevated risks of hospital admission.
Aim:
To compare hospital admission patterns after the first year of life in Australian children with developmental disabilities and children with no known disability, according to maternal country of birth and Indigenous status.
Method:
This was a retrospective cohort study using linked data across health, disability, and hospital admission databases. The study investigated 656 174 children born in Western Australia between 1983 and 2008 with a total of 1 091 834 records of hospital admissions.
Results:
Children with no known disability born to Indigenous mothers had the highest rate of hospital admissions compared to children of non-Indigenous mothers. Children of foreign-born mothers from low-income countries had the highest rate of hospital admissions if disability was present. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) with or without associated intellectual disability had the highest rate of hospital admissions among children with developmental disability, especially if mothers were foreign-born.
Interpretation:
Children with CP and intellectual disability, particularly from minority backgrounds (Indigenous Australian and foreign-born mothers), were at higher risk of being admitted to hospital after the first year of life.
What This Paper Adds:
Hospital admissions in Australian children with and without disabilities differ according to maternal country of birth. Hospital admission rates in children without a developmental disability were greatest for Australian-born Indigenous children. Disabled Australian-born children of foreign-born mothers from low-income countries had the highest hospital admission rates. Hospital admission risk was greatest for Australian-born children with cerebral palsy, especially if mothers were foreign-born.
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