The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50113

Lise M. Youngblade, PhD¹, Jana F. Col, MS², and Elizabeth A. Shenkman, PhD². (1) Dept. of Pediatrics and Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, 5700 SW 34th St., Suite 323, Gainesville, FL 32608, (352)392-5904, ext 262, lmy@ichp.edu, (2) Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, 5700 SW 34th St., Suite 323, Gainesville, FL 32608

Little is known about ADHD during adolescence, partly because all major diagnostic criteria have been developed on younger children. As children with ADHD grow older, they become at increased risk for drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, antisocial behavior, and injuries, particularly if the condition remains untreated. Prior work revealed that healthcare costs are substantially higher for low-income adolescents engaging in risky behavior versus those that do not. Because of the presumed link between ADHD and engaging in risky behavior, we built on this work to investigate the probability of engaging in risky behavior for adolescents diagnosed with ADHD compared to those who are not, and to examine the concomitant healthcare costs associated with ADHD and risky behavior. ADHD and risky behavior were examined in a pool of adolescents enrolled in Florida’s Title XXI program. Results indicated that adolescents diagnosed with ADHD were 2.7 times as likely to engage in risky behaviors as adolescents who did not have ADHD. Moreover, average monthly health care costs were more than twice as high for adolescents with ADHD. The highest costs were for adolescents diagnosed with ADHD who had diagnoses indicative of risky behavior; their costs were more than three times as high as the average pool of adolescents who did not engage in risky behavior. Analyses are in progress to evaluate the role of ADHD medication in modifying these odds.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will recognize prevalence of ADHD in Title XXI population.
• Participants will learn about odds of engaging in risky behavior as a function of ADHD status.
• Participants will learn about whether odds of engaging in risky behavior are modified by ADHD medication.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.