Abstract
Abstract
Background
Child disability has significant implications on their well-being and healthcare systems. Aim: This survey aimed to assess the magnitude of seven types of disability among Egyptian children aged 1 < 6 years and their socio-demographic, epidemiological, and perinatal predictors.
Methods
A national population-based cross-sectional household survey targeting 21,316 children from eight governorates was conducted. The screening questionnaire was derived from the WHO ten-question survey tool validated for identifying seven disability categories.
Results
The percentage of children with at least one disability was 8.1% as follows: speech/communication (4.4%), Mobility/physical (2.5%), Seizures (2.2%), Comprehension (1.7%), Intellectual impairment (1.4%), Visual (0.3%) and Hearing (0.2%). Age was not found to affect the odds of disability except for visual disability (significantly increased with age (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI:1.1–1.7). Male sex also increased the odds of all disabilities except visual, hearing, and seizures. Convulsions after birth significantly increased the odds of disability as follows: hearing (AOR = 8.1, 95% CI: 2.2–30.5), intellectual impairment (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.5–6.9), and mobility/physical (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 2.3–5.0). Preterm delivery and being kept in an incubator for more than two days after birth increased the odds for visual disability (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.1–12.1 & AOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.7–7.9 respectively). Cyanosis increased the odds of seizures (AOR = 4.7, 95% CI: 2.2–10.3). Low birth weight also increased the odds for all disability domains except for visual and hearing. Maternal health problems during pregnancy increased the odds for all types of disability except hearing and seizures. Higher paternal education decreased the odds for all disabilities by at least 30% except for vision and hearing.
Conclusion
The study found a high prevalence of disability among Egyptian children aged 1–6 years. It identified a number of modifiable risk factors for disability. The practice of early screening for disability is encouraged to provide early interventions when needed.
Funder
Academy of Scientific Research and Technology
National Research Centre Egypt
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health
Reference94 articles.
1. United Nations, UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities 2006 [Available from: https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf.
2. Developmental disabilities among children younger than 5 years in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Glob Health 2018;6(10):e1100-e21.
3. National Research C. Institute of Medicine Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood D. In: Shonkoff JP, Phillips DA, editors. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US)
4. Mizunoya S, Mitra S, Yamasaki I. Disability and school attendance in 15 low-and middle-income countries. World Dev. 2018;104:388–403.
5. Kuper H, Monteath-van Dok A, Wing K, Danquah L, Evans J, Zuurmond M, et al. The impact of disability on the lives of children; cross-sectional data including 8,900 children with disabilities and 898,834 children without disabilities across 30 countries. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(9):e107300.