Prevalence of ADHD in Primary School Children, in Colombo District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Objective: To determine prevalence of ADHD among primary school children in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,125 primary school children aged 6 to 10 years in Sinhala medium state schools in Colombo district. Prevalence was assessed with validated Sinhala version of Swanson, Nolan, Pelham—IV (SNAP-IV-S) scale where primary care givers and class teachers were the respondents and diagnosis was confirmed by a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Results: The mean age of the sample was 7.9 years ( SD = 1.2) and largely males ( n = 603, 56.6%). Overall prevalence of ADHD was 6.5% (95% CI [5.1, 8.1]) with combined as the commonest subtype. Prevalence was higher among males (9.6%) than females (2.9%) with a sex ratio of 1:3.8 and was highest in the 7 to 8 year old age group (7.4%–7.5%). Conclusion: School based screening enabling early detection of ADHD and timely referral is the need of the hour.