Banks, Lena Morgon; Liu, Jing; Kielland, Anne; Tahirou, Ali Bako; Harouna, Abdoul Karim Seydou; Mactaggart, Islay; Dybdahl, Ragnhild; Mounkaila, Dan Firoun; Grønningsæter, Arne; (2022) Childhood disability in rural Niger: a population-based assessment using the Key Informant Method. BMC pediatrics, 22 (1). 170-. ISSN 1471-2431 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-022-03226-0
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Data on childhood disability is essential for planning health, education and other services. However, information is lacking in many low- and middle-income countries, including Niger. This study uses the Key Informant Method, an innovative and cost-effective strategy for generating population-based estimates of childhood disability, to estimate the prevalence and causes of moderate/severe impairments and disabling health conditions in children of school-going age (7-16 years) in the Kollo department of western Niger. METHODS: Community-based key informants were trained to identify children who were suspected of having the impairment types/health conditions included in this study. Children identified by key informants were visited by paediatricians and underwent an assessment for moderate/severe vision, hearing, physical and intellectual impairments, as well as epilepsy, albinism and emotional distress. RESULTS: Two thousand, five hundred sixty-one children were identified by key informants, of whom 2191 were visited by paediatricians (response rate = 85.6%). Overall, 597 children were determined to have an impairment/health condition, giving a prevalence of disability of 11.4 per 1000 children (10.6- 12.2). Intellectual impairment was most common (6.5 per 1000), followed by physical (4.9 per 1000) and hearing impairments (4.7 per 1000). Many children had never sought medical attention for their impairment/health condition, with health seeking ranging from 40.0% of children with visual impairment to 67.2% for children with physical impairments. CONCLUSION: The Key Informant Method enabled the identification of a large number of children with disabling impairments and health conditions in rural Niger, many of whom have unmet needs for health and other services.
Item Type | Article |
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Faculty and Department |
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health > Dept of Population Health (2012- ) Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases > Dept of Clinical Research |
Research Centre | International Centre for Eye Health |
PubMed ID | 35361177 |
Elements ID | 172453 |
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Filename: Childhood disability in rural Niger a population-based assessment using the Key Informant Method.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
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