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Prevalence of childhood disability and the characteristics and circumstances of disabled children in the UK : secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey

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Blackburn, Clare, Spencer, Nick and Read, Janet. (2010) Prevalence of childhood disability and the characteristics and circumstances of disabled children in the UK : secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey. BMC Pediatrics, Vol.10 . Article 21. ISSN 1471-2431

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-10-21

Abstract

Background: Robust data on the prevalence of childhood disability and the circumstances and characteristics of
disabled children is crucial to understanding the relationship between impairment and social disadvantage. It is also
crucial for public policy development aimed at reducing the prevalence of childhood disability and providing
appropriate and timely service provision. This paper reports prevalence rates for childhood disability in the United
Kingdom (UK) and describes the social and household circumstances of disabled children, comparing these where
appropriate to those of non-disabled children.
Methods: Data were generated from secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey, a national UK cross-sectional
survey, (2004/5) which had data on 16,012 children aged 0-18 years. Children were defined as disabled if they met the
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) definition (1995 and 2005). Frequency distributions and cross-tabulations were run
to establish prevalence estimates, and describe the circumstances of disabled children. To establish the association
between individual social and material factors and childhood disability when other factors were controlled for, logistic
regression models were fitted on the dependent variable 'DDA defined disability'.
Results: 7.3% (CI 6.9, 7.7) of UK children were reported by as disabled according to the DDA definition. Patterns of
disability differed between sexes with boys having a higher rate overall and more likely than girls to experience
difficulties with physical coordination; memory, concentration and learning; communication. Disabled children lived in
different personal situations from their non-disabled counterparts, and were more likely to live with low-income,
deprivation, debt and poor housing. This was particularly the case for disabled children from black/minority ethnic/
mixed parentage groups and lone-parent households. Childhood disability was associated with lone parenthood and
parental disability and these associations persisted when social disadvantage was controlled for.
Conclusion: These analyses suggest that UK disabled children experience higher levels of poverty and personal and
social disadvantage than other children. Further research is required to establish accurate prevalence estimates of
childhood disability among different black and minority ethnic groups and to understand the associations between
childhood disability and lone parenthood and the higher rates of sibling and parental disability in households with
disabled children.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Health and Social Studies

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Children with disabilities -- Social conditions -- Great Britain, Families -- Statistics

Journal or Publication Title:

BMC Pediatrics

Publisher:

BioMed Central Ltd.

ISSN:

1471-2431

Official Date:

2010

Dates:

Date	Event
2010	Published

Volume:

Vol.10

Page Range:

Article 21

Identification Number:

10.1186/1471-2431-10-21

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

Funder:

Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC)

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