STUDY: Chronic Illnesses Prevalent Among Area Children

Does your child suffer from asthma, ADHD, anxiety, depression or diabetes?

(Cincinnati, Oh.) - Asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety are the most commonly diagnosed chronic conditions among children in the Greater Cincinnati region, according to data collected through the 2017 Child Well-Being Survey.

The survey asked parents and guardians whether a doctor or other health care provider said their child had one of five chronic conditions: asthma, ADHD, anxiety, depression or diabetes. About 1 in 10 reported that their child had been diagnosed with asthma (13%, compared with 12% nationally), ADHD (13%, compared with 10% nationally) or anxiety (12% compared with 8% nationally). Rates of depression and diabetes among children in the region were lower, with just 5% of children being diagnosed with the former (compared with 4% nationally) and 1% with the latter (compared with 0.4% nationally). National data are from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Chronic conditions can have lasting impacts on a child, affecting his or her overall health, ability to learn and family life,” said O’dell Moreno Owens, M.D., M.P.H., President and CEO of Interact for Health. “Thus, it’s important for children to have access to quality health care, and one reason Interact for Health partners to improve kid’s health via school-based health centers in areas of need.”

Asthma Rates Vary by Geography, Demographics  

Survey data show that the burden of asthma is higher among certain populations. Children living in the City of Cincinnati (18%) or the Hamilton County suburbs (17%) were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than those living in other areas of Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana, with rates ranging from 9 to 12%.

Asthma rates also varied by race. Rates of asthma among African American children at 20% and among children of other races at 19% were almost double the 11% rate of asthma reported in White children. The other race category included children of Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Native American decent. 

Other data of note

• ADHD diagnoses were more commonly reported among boys, at 16%, compared to girls at 10%.
• While rates of childhood depression were low overall, with only 5% of parents or caregivers in the region reporting it, depression was more common among children living in households earning 100% or less of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, with 10% reporting that their child had been diagnosed.

About the Child Well-Being Survey

The 2017 Child Well-Being Survey is funded by Interact for Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, with support from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. It was conducted March 5-Aug. 9, 2017, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 2,757 adult caregivers from a 22-county region in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana was interviewed by telephone. This included 1,056 landline interviews and 1,701 cell phone interviews with cell phone users. In 95 of 100 cases, the estimates will be accurate to ± 1.9%. There are other sources of variation inherent in public opinion studies, such as non-response, question wording or context effects that can introduce error or bias. For more information about the Child Well-Being Survey, please visit https://www.interactforhealth.org/child-well-being-survey.