203520 Health Care Transition for Youth With Disabilities: A Follow-up Study Using the National Survey for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Arun Karpur, MBBS, MPH , Employment and Disability Institute, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, New York, NY
Transition to adulthood - a period punctuated by movement of youth with disabilities from the pediatric system of entitlement to adult system of eligibility - is especially challenging for youth with disabilities. National surveys continue to portray a dismal picture with respect to employment, post-secondary education, and independent living outcomes for youth with disabilities. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS CSHCN) in 2001 provided first national estimates of CSHCN. A follow-back survey – Survey of Adult Transition and Health (SATH) - was conducted using a sub-sample of young people in the NS CSHCN in 2007. In 2001 these young people were 14-17 years old; the same subjects were 19-23 yrs old in 2007. Our analysis explores following research questions:

1.Do children with special health care needs (14-17 yrs old) who received health care transition services have better access to health care, higher rates of employment, and lower proportion of unmet health care needs compared to their peers who did not receive any health care transition services as they move into young adulthood?

2.Does having a medical home during the ages of 14-17 yrs predict higher access to health care services and higher employment rates in young adulthood?

3.What is the association between the health status during ages 14-17 yrs and the likelihood of employment in young adulthood?

We will also propose additional hypothesis to be considered in the area of health care transition for youth with disabilities.

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate an association between health care transition planning or related services and employment and adult-life outcomes for youth with disabilities. Describe potential hypothesis related to health care transition and youth outcomes (e.g., employment, health care access, and independent living).

Keywords: Disability, Children With Special Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 5 years of work experience as a quantitative researcher in the area of youth with disabilities. I have presented at several national and internation conferences in the area of transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities. I have also developed several primary data collection systems to track the transition to adulthood outcomes (e.g., employment, postsecondary education) for youth with disabilities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Disability and Access to Care II
See more of: Disability