NSCH Data Reveal Prevalence for Children with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders (MBDD)

Data from HRSA’s 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health revealed that children aged 2 – 8 years living in lower-income households had higher prevalence of mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders (MBDD) as well as adverse health care, family, and community risk factors for MBDD than children living in higher-income households.

Compared with children in the highest-income households, those in lower-income households more often had received a diagnosis of an MBDD (22.1% versus 13.9%), and less often had seen a health care provider in the previous year (80.4% versus 93.8%). This raises concern that MBDDs might be undertreated in children from low-income households. Connection to health care services is especially important for this population.

Early identification and treatment of MBDDs could positively affect health outcomes for these children, and reduce the need for costly interventions over time. Public Assistance programs hold potential for connecting families to health services and enabling collaboration between public health professionals and pediatricians to improve appropriate treatment and care.

Read the abstract.