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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Annie Chu, BA¹, Brian Chin, BSc², Yingyao Chen, MD, MPH, PhD³, Xu Qian, MD, MPH³, Jun Li, PhD³, and Jie Zhang, MD, MPH³. (1) Department of Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, 617-935-6038, achu@hsph.harvard.edu, (2) Harvard Initiative for Global Health, Harvard University, 104 Mt. Auburn St., 3rd Fl., Cambridge, MA 02138, (3) Health Technology Assessment & Research Center, Fudan University School of Public Health, 138, Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China

In recent decades, as child mortality due to birth defects declined and life expectancy of children with birth defects increased, the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure has become increasingly important to track the observed compression of morbidity and understand the effect of disability in children with birth defects. The objectives of this study are to measure HRQoL for children with Down syndrome and congenital heart disease in China, and to assess associated socio-economic inequalities across specific health domains. Nationally representative data come from the 2004 Chinese Ministry of Health Household Health Services Survey where 512 randomly selected households with children with birth defects were surveyed in Shaanxi, Hebei, and Shanghai. Self-reported health valuation using the European Quality of Life (EQ-5D) descriptive system on five health domains: mobility, self-care, daily activities, anxiety, and pain and discomfort, has been shown to be a valid measure for Chinese HRQoL. Results indicate significantly lowered health states of children with Down syndrome and congenital heart disease compared to the national average of children without disability. Differences in EQ-5D scores for the composite and specific health domains across gender, household income level, geographical region, and education level of parents will be presented in the final paper. Measurement of HRQoL in children with birth defect disabilities can not only identify poor physical or mental health, but can be used to assess associated socio-economic inequalities and help guide policies or social services to improve the health and address stigmatization of this population in China.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe the current health and social status of children with birth defects, namely Down syndrome and congenital heart defects, in China.
• Evaluate the magnitude of health inequalities associated with the health status of children with birth defects across specific health domains using the EQ-5D instrument, and address inequalities found in socio-economic determinants.
• Discuss health equity implications in the design of policies and social services to target the population of children with birth defects in China.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered