Parental report of health conditions and health care use among children with and without autism: National Survey of Children's Health.
OBJECTIVE
To compare parent-reported prevalence of health conditions and health care use between children with and without autism.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of the 2003 to 2004 National Survey of Children's Health.


METHODS
Population-based sample across the United States.


METHODS
More than 100 000 parents. The main exposure was "autism" (not further defined), from response to the question: "Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has autism?"


METHODS
Medical and mental health conditions and measures of health care use.


RESULTS
Autism prevalence among children aged 3 to 17 years was 53 per 10 000 (95% confidence interval, 45-61 per 10,000), equating to a national estimate of 324 000 children (95% confidence interval, 274,000-375,000 children). Children with autism had a significantly (P<.001) higher prevalence of depression or anxiety problems (38.9% vs 4.2%) and behavioral or conduct problems (58.9% vs 5.2%) than children without autism. Respiratory, food, and skin allergies were reported by parents more often for children with autism, with food allergies having the strongest relative difference between the groups (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.0-7.0). Children with autism had significantly (P<.001) higher mean physician visits over 12 months for preventive care, nonemergency care, and hospital emergency care, and were far more likely than children without autism to receive physical, occupational, or speech therapy (76.0% vs 6.3%), to need treatment or counseling for an emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem (75.4% vs 7.0%), and, among those taking a prescribed medication, to be using a medication long-term (51.4% vs 14.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
We found markedly higher reports of concurrent conditions and health care use associated with childhood autism in this study.
Gurney
James G
JG
Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456, USA. jamegurn@umich.edu
McPheeters
Melissa L
ML
Davis
Matthew M
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States