Disability of the child population as an actual public health problem and the basis for planning rehabilitation care for children

Abstract

Analysis of the dynamic and regional characteristics of disability in children, as well as the reasons for its formation, is the basis for determining the needs of the child population for rehabilitation care and the ways to improve its organization.The aim of the study was: to analyze the disability of children in Ukraine and its administrative territories in dynamics for 2015-2023 to provide information support for planning and developing rehabilitation care for children.Materials and methods: The study used bibliographic, epidemiological and statistical methods, as well as the method of a systems approach and analysis. The study materials were statistical data f. No. 19 "Report on children with disabilities under 18 years of age for 20__" summarized at the level of administrative territories (regions and the city of Kyiv) and in Ukraine.Results. According to the state statistical reporting, as of 31.12.2023, 158901 children with disabilities need rehabilitation care in Ukraine.During 2015-2023, the number of disabled children and the level of general disability of the child population in Ukraine tended to rise; in 2023, the level of primary disability also increased, which indicates the need to optimize and expand rehabilitation care for children. The main causes of general disability of children are congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (27.1%), mental and behavioral disorders (22.3%), diseases of the central nervous system (14.3%). During the observation period, the role of mental and behavioral disorders as cause of the disability of children increased. In 2023 they became the main cause of primary disability of the child population and caused every 3rd (33.5%) case. The level of primary disability due to mental and behavioral disorders increased almost 2.5 times, and the general one by 71.2%. The war changed the territorial profile of childhood disability in Ukraine. Due to the migration of refugees from the south-eastern to the western regions, the latter have the highest levels of primary and general disability.Conclusions. The identified characteristics of disability among the child population indicate the need to increase the volume of rehabilitation for children and improve its effectiveness.