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Children's Relative Age and ADHD Medication Use: A Finnish Population-Based Study.
Miika Vuori1, Jaana E Martikainen2, Anna Koski-Pirilä3
1Department of Teacher Education, Turku Institute of Advanced Studies, miika.vuori@utu.fi.
Youngest children in classrooms are more likely to be medicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study found that children born later in the year had higher ADHD medication rates, especially in early school years.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Youngest children in a classroom are at higher risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication.
- Relative immaturity due to birth month can influence ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between children's birth month and ADHD medication rates in Finland.
- To investigate if relative age within a school cohort impacts ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Population-based study analyzing ADHD medication use in children born between 2005-2007 in Finland.
- Identified cases (n=7054) based on the first ADHD medication purchase.
- Utilized Cox proportional hazard models to assess hazard ratios (HRs) by birth month and sex.
Main Results:
- ADHD medication risk increased with later birth months throughout the year.
- Boys born in September-December showed a stable HR of 1.3.
- Girls born in September-December exhibited increasing HRs (1.4 in 2005 to 1.7 in 2007).
Conclusions:
- Relative immaturity of younger children in a school year increases the likelihood of ADHD medication.
- The association between birth month and ADHD medication was more pronounced during the initial school years.
- Clinicians and teachers require increased awareness of this age-related diagnostic bias.
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