Parent-reported prevalence and persistence of 19 common child health conditions

Objective: To estimate prevalence and persistence of 19 common paediatric conditions from infancy to 14-15 years.

Design: Population-based prospective cohort study.

Setting: Australia.

Participants: Parallel cohorts assessed biennially from 2004 to 2014 from ages 0-1 and 4-5 years to 10-11 and 14-15 years, respectively, in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Main outcome measures: 19 health conditions: 17 parent-reported, 2 (overweight/obesity, obesity) directly assessed. Two general measures: health status, special health care needs.

Analysis: (1) prevalence estimated in 2-year age-bands and (2) persistence rates calculated at each subsequent time point for each condition among affected children.

Results: 10 090 children participated in Wave 1 and 6717 in all waves. From age 2, more than 60% of children were experiencing at least one health condition at any age. Distinct prevalence patterns by age-bands comprised eight conditions that steadily rose (overweight/obesity, obesity, injury, anxiety/depression, frequent headaches, abdominal pain, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Six conditions fell with age (eczema, sleep problems, day-wetting, soiling, constipation, recurrent tonsillitis), three remained stable (asthma, diabetes, epilepsy) and two peaked in mid-childhood (dental decay, recurrent ear infections). Conditions were more likely to persist if present for 2 years; persistence was especially high for obesity beyond 6-7 (91.3%-95.1% persisting at 14-15).

Conclusions: Beyond infancy, most Australian children are experiencing at least one ongoing health condition at any given time. This study's age-specific estimates of prevalence and persistence should assist families and clinicians to plan care. Conditions showing little resolution (obesity, asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) require long-term planning and management.