90 likes | 219 Views
Disability among children: a statistical perspective Howard Meltzer Health and Care Division Office for National Statistics, London, UK Washington Group on Disability Statistics 4th meeting Bangkok, Thailand September 29 – October 1, 2004. Definition of children. Age (minimum and maximum)
E N D
Disability among children: a statistical perspectiveHoward MeltzerHealth and Care Division Office for National Statistics, London, UKWashington Group on Disability Statistics4th meetingBangkok, ThailandSeptember 29 – October 1, 2004
Definition of children • Age (minimum and maximum) • Kinship relationships • birth parents • step children • foster children • Usual place of residence
Definition of disability for children • Questions addressed to adults are inappropriate (e.g. ADL, behavioural problems) • What is normal for a particular age is an essential part of assessing disability (walking, running, speaking, co-ordination) • General delay versus functional delay: both poorly recognised by parents • Functional limitations, dependence on compensatory mechanisms, specialised services. • Focus on impairments due to the difficulty in • operationalising functional limitations.
ICF for Children and Youth (ICFCY) • Clinical utility of the ICFCY is being tested at the moment. • Participants with access to clinical populations are completing questionnaires for children in four age groups: • 0-2 • 3-6 • 7-12 • 13-18 • These can be used as a framework for developing instruments for epidemiological research.
What is the purpose of collecting disability data for children • Service provision and resource allocation • Unmet need • Less well-developed services for children • 16-17 year olds least well served • Equalisation of opportunity • schooling • employment • Health monitoring of the total population
How are children dealt with in censuses and surveys? • Census • which include all children (from birth) • which include children from a certain age. • Surveys • which ask questions about all household members including children • which ask questions about all household members including children from a certain age. • Separate surveys of children. • Choice of procedure depends on the country’s statistical infrastructure, the resources available for data collection and the political will to make data collection a priority.
Sampling children for national surveys • Sampling school records • Screening the population (enumeration or by mail) • Using centralised records - health or benefits • Piggy-backing on other surveys
Ethical issues in surveying children • Participation of children • capability • confidentiality • privacy • Severely disabled children • appropriateness of questions • distress to parents • Child abuse • Suicidal thoughts
Disability among children: a statistical perspectiveHoward MeltzerHealth and Care Division Office for National Statistics, London, UKWashington Group on Disability Statistics4th meetingBangkok, ThailandSeptember 29 – October 1, 2004