Measuring children's mental health and mental health care needs in Colorado

Introduction: There is a dearth of population based data about children's mental health in Colorado. To help fill this critical data gap, questions were added to the 2012 Colorado Child Health Survey (CHS) to measure need for mental health care, receipt of needed care, the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and/or behavioral or conduct disorders, and use of medication for these conditions. Methods: The Colorado Child Health Survey is a call back survey from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey (BRFSS). The BRFSS monitors health status, prevalence of chronic diseases, and self-reported risk behaviors of Colorado adults through a random-digit-dial telephone survey. During the BRFSS phone interview, the interviewer inquires if a child between the ages of 1-14 years lives in the household and about the respondent's willingness to complete a survey about the child. Approximately 2 to 4 days later, the parent is called to complete the CHS on a variety of health topics. Results: Overall, 9% of children needed mental health care in 2012. Of those, 73% received the care they needed. Six percent of children had been diagnosed with ADHD and 68% of them were taking medication, 2% of children had been diagnosed with depression, 5% with anxiety, and 3% with behavioral or conduct disorders. Identified disparities will be reviewed. Relevance: These data will be used to support health care providers, public health professionals and policy makers in understanding the extent of mental health care needs among the child population in Colorado.