An epidemiological study of childhood disability in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Childhood disability is a major health problem that is pronounced in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to identify the maternal risk factors present in our society and their impact on acquiring a disabled child. Data were collected from the six governmental rehabilitation institutes and a sample of normal non-disabled school children in Jeddah City. Information on sociodemographic factors and maternal risk factors was collected by in-person interview and copied from the children's institute records. Logistic regression models were fitted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios in order to demonstrate the impact for the various maternal risk factors on having a disabled child. Our results have shown that certain modifiable maternal risk factors affecting child health still exist in our community, such as early and late-age marriage and childbearing, as well as low education, unemployment, multiparity and consanguineous marriages. All these risks were shown to put the mother at higher risk of having an auditory disabled child. Also, older-age childbearing (> or = 30 years), low education level and multiparity were the maternal risk factors identified that influenced the risk of visual disability in children. Similar maternal risk factors, in addition to unemployment, were more observed among mothers of mentally disabled children. A huge effort is required to discourage the potential risk factors in our community that influence child health.

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