State-Level Estimates of the Prevalence of Parent-Reported ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment Among US Children and Adolescents, 2016 to 2019

Objective: To provide state-level estimates of diagnosed ADHD and associated treatment among children in the United States in 2016 to 2019. Method: This study used the National Survey of Children's Health to produce national and state-level estimates of lifetime diagnosis and current ADHD among all children aged 3 to 17 years (n=114,476), and national and state-level estimates of medication and behavioral treatment use among children with current ADHD. Results: The state-level estimates of diagnosed ADHD ranged from 6.1% to 16.3%. Among children with current ADHD, state-level estimates of ADHD medication usage ranged from 37.8% to 81.4%, and state-level estimates of behavioral treatment ranged from 38.8% to 61.8%. Conclusion: There was substantial state-level variation for indicators of ADHD diagnosis and associated treatment. These state-level results can be used by policymakers, public health practitioners, health care providers, and other stakeholders to help address the service needs of children with ADHD in their states.

Automated summary

This study provides state-level estimates of diagnosed ADHD and associated treatment among children in the United States from 2016 to 2019. The results indicate substantial variation among states in ADHD diagnosis and treatment.