The growth of chronic health conditions and special needs among children has been
dramatic over the past few decades. Where parents reported fewer than 2% of children
in the 1960s as having a chronic health condition that interfered on a regular basis
with daily activities, this number had risen to almost 8% by the late 1990s. Some
growth reflects real improvement in medical and surgical care, with better survival
of many children (eg, with leukemia, cystic fibrosis, and congenital heart disease)
who would have died in childhood in earlier years. Much change over the decades, however,
reflects major growth in rates of common conditions that have little mortality but
cause great morbidity: obesity, asthma, and mental health conditions. Over 11 million
children and youth are obese today (at least 1 in 7), over 5 million have asthma,
and large numbers have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders,
and depression. These rates contrast with relatively stable numbers among less common
conditions, such as 60 000 with spina bifida, 37 500 with sickle cell disease, 22
500 with cystic fibrosis, or 7500 with hemophilia.
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References
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 USC, Public Law 111–148(2010). Available at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3590enr.txt.pdf. Accessed September 27, 2010.
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 08, 2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
