In children and adolescents, older age and male gender were factors associated with receiving a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as recommended ADHD therapy, according to a poster presented at the 52nd Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The study used data from the National Survey on Children’s Health for the years 2016 through 2019 to investigate factors associated with receiving an ADHD diagnosis and with receiving guideline-based ADHD treatment. The weighted sample included 42.2 million children and adolescents in the United States between the ages of 4 and 17 years.

According to the poster, adjusted odds ratios of receiving an ADHD diagnosis were 3.7 with an age between 12 and 17 years, 2.9 with an age between 6 and 11 years, and 1.9 with male gender. In addition, public health insurance was associated with higher odds of an ADHD diagnosis: adjusted odds ratios were 1.3 with public insurance alone and 1.2 with a mix of public and private insurance.

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Regarding receiving recommended ADHD therapy, adjusted odds ratios were 5.2 with an age between 6 and 11 years, 4.3 with an age between 12 and 17 years, and 1.3 with male gender. An additional factor associated with receiving recommended therapy was having a medical home; researchers reported an associated adjusted odds ratio of 1.5. 

On the flip side, factors that decreased the odds of an ADHD diagnosis were other/multicultural race, Hispanic ethnicity, and non-English household language: adjusted odds ratios for each were 0.7, 0.8, and 0.5, respectively. Furthermore, lower household income was a risk factor for not receiving recommended ADHD therapy. Adjusted odds ratios for receiving guideline-based therapy were 0.6 with a household income of 100% or less of the poverty level, 0.8 with a household income between 101% and 200% of the poverty level, and 0.7 with a household income between 201% and 300% of the poverty level, the study found.

Reference

VanZant JS, Adenaiye OO, Houtrow AJ. Trends in diagnosis and management of ADHD in children and adolescents—a 4 year overview. Poster presented at Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting; October 4-7, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.