title: Cost of care for a geographically determined population of low birthweight infants to age 8-9 years. II. Children with disability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the cost of health and educational service provision for low birthweight children with a clinical disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study of a geographically defined population in five health districts that comprise the County of Merseyside was undertaken. All children with a clinical disability born in 1980 and 1981 to mothers resident in the County of Merseyside were followed up to age 8-9 years. The cost of care associated with the initial admission to the neonatal special/intensive care unit and subsequent use of hospital, family practitioner, and special education services was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 52 children with a disability; the disability rate in children of birthweight < or = 2000 g was estimated at 7.7%. Of the total expenditure to age 8-9 years, special education was the largest category (52%) and neonatal care accounted for 35%. The disabled children accounted for 38% of the cost of the whole cohort of 693 disabled and non-disabled children who weighed < or = 2000 g at birth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cohort of low birthweight children, those who are disabled account for a disproportionate amount of the total expenditure to age 8-9. The cost of long term care for disabled young persons and adults will increasingly dominate the cost of care for the whole cohort of low birthweight children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Liverpool.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Pharoah
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Cooke
mesh_terms: D002654:Child Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004519:Education, Special / Q000191:economics; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000191:economics*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics; D017741:Survivors