Analysis of the Prevalence of Disability in the Children Population in Poltava Oblast in 2018–2022

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the situation with child disability in the Poltava region for 2018–2022, investigate its main trends, and analyze the structure of the causes that lead to children's disabilities. Materials and Methods. The study design is descriptive. The conducted study involved methods of social medicine: medical-statistical and structural-logical analysis. The statistical data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine were taken as the study materials. To obtain results, calculations of generally accepted indicators (disability, primary disability, specific gravity) and analysis of statistical series was carried out. Results. It was established that during the studied period, the level of disability in the child population in the Poltava region was higher than the national level and it remains relatively stable (from 228.28 per 10,000 children in 2018 to 228.96 per 10,000 children in 2022). At the same time, the level of primary disability of the child population during the study period was lower than the national level and showed a downward trend (from 23.98 per 10,000 children in 2018 to 20.57 per 10,000 children in 2022). The gender structure of both indicators showed that the specific weight of boys was higher than that of girls, and there was also an increase in the level of indicators among boys and a decrease among girls. The main causes of disability in the Poltava region were congenital anomalies (26.26%), mental and behavioral disorders (23.45%), diseases of the endocrine system (12.99%), which corresponded to the structure of the disability causes in Ukraine. Regarding primary disability, the main reasons were mental disorders (30.60%, a gradual increase in specific gravity is observed), endocrine problems (18.32%), and congenital anomalies (17.46%). Conclusions. During the studied period, there was a trend towards an increase in primary disability. In the structure of disability and primary disability, an increase in the specific weight of boys was observed. In the structure of disability, the first place was occupied by mental disorders, and during the studied period, there was a tendency to increase. In the Poltava region, in contrast to Ukraine, endocrine problems take the second place. Based on such a picture, it can be concluded that in order to improve children's health, attention should be paid to the psychological health of children and the preventive component of risk factors should be strengthened.