Difficulties in Functioning Among Children in the United States: 2021-2023.

Cancer-Related News from the CDC

The development and testing of a module on child functioning for identifying children with disabilities on surveys. III: Field testing

This report uses the most recent National Health Interview Survey data on the use of prescription medication for depression and explores differences in use of medication for depression by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, disability status, living alone, family income, education level, region, and urbanization level among U.S. adults in 2023. Data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey were used for this analysis. Point estimates and corresponding variances were calculated using SAS-callable SUDAAN software version 11.0 to account for the survey's complex sample design. All estimates are based on self-report and meet NCHS data presentation standards for proportions. Differences between percentages were evaluated using two-sided significance tests at the 0.05 level. Linear and quadratic trends by age group and family income were evaluated using orthogonal polynomials in logistic regression. In 2023, the percentage of adults age 18 and older who took prescription medication for depression was 11.4%; women were more than twice as likely to take medication for depression than men. White non-Hispanic adults and adults of other and multiple races non-Hispanic were more likely to take medication for depression compared with all other race and Hispanic-origin groups. Adults with disabilities were nearly three times as likely to take medication for depression than adults without disabilities. Taking medication for depression decreased with increasing family income. The percentage of adults taking medication for depression was higher in the Midwest compared to other regions and increased with decreasing urbanization level.

COPD Surveillance—United States, 1999-2011

This report uses 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to presents age- adjusted estimates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults age 18 and older by selected sociodemographic and health characteristics. Point estimates and corresponding variances for this analysis were calculated using SAS-callable SUDAAN software to account for the complex sample design of NHIS. All estimates are based on self-report and meet NCHS data presentation standards for proportions. Differences between percentages were evaluated using two-sided significance tests at the 0.05 level. Linear and quadratic trends by age group and family income were evaluated using orthogonal polynomials in logistic regression. Estimates were age adjusted to the 2000 U.S. census population using the direct method for age groups 18-44, 45-64, 65-74, and 75 and older. In 2023, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed COPD among adults age 18 and older was 3.8%, and women were more likely to have COPD than men. COPD increased with increasing age. Asian non-Hispanic adults were less likely than adults of all other racial and ethnic groupsto have COPD. The prevalence of COPD decreased with increasing family income. Adults living in the Midwest and South were more likely to have COPD than those living in the Northeast and West. Adults with fair or poor health were about five times as likely to have COPD than adults with excellent, very good, or good health. The percentage of COPD increased with increasing level of difficulties in functioning.

Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States

The concern for, the protection, and the care of persons with disability are enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and legislated through a number of laws aimed at providing equal opportunities for them.With enhanced global, regional, and national efforts to address the needs, protect the rights and welfare, and advance the status of persons with disability, the Philippine Statistical System (PSS), particularly the then National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) and then National Statistics Office (NSO) (which is now replaced by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)), recognized the requirement for timely and accurate disability statistics. For example, a question on disability has been included in the 1990 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) conducted by the then NSO and has been continued in all succeeding censuses, excluding the 2007 Census of Population.Further, questions on functional difficulty, based on the recommended questions of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, were included in the core data items in the recently concluded 2010 CPH. The then NSCB issued statistical policies and has put in place mechanisms conducive to the development of statistics, including on disability (e.g., Philippine Statistical Development Program, Interagency Committee on Health and Nutrition Statistics, among others).The Philippines recognizes and highly appreciates the outstanding work that has been done by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics as well as the invaluable assistance and support it has provided to the PSS towards the development and improvement of disability statistics in the country.However, due to a number of factors such as the lack of statistical capacity of dutybearers/users of disability statistics; lack of resources allocated for disability statistics; methodological/operational problems, the development of disability statistics in the Philippines has not proceeded as fast as may be wished.

Mobility limitations and complementary and alternative medicine: are people with disabilities more likely to pray?

IntroductionData on child functioning and disability are important for public policy development which aimed at reducing child disability prevalence and strengthening the provision of appropriate and timely health care services. This study reports the prevalence of functional difficulty in Malaysian children aged 2–17 years and its associated sociodemographic factors and epilepsy.MethodsData on children aged 2–17 years (n = 4576) were generated from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, a population-based cross-sectional survey. Functional difficulty in children was assessed using the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) Child Functioning Module (CFM). The questionnaires were administered to the parents or guardians of the children via face-to-face interviews. Functional difficulty, defined as having difficulty in at least one domain, was examined for its prevalence and associations with sociodemographic variables and the epilepsy variable in children using descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression.ResultsThe overall prevalence of functional difficulty among children aged 2–17 years was 4.7%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older children, children from households whose heads of household had a lower education level and children who have epilepsy were significantly more likely to experience functional difficulty (p < 0.05). Children of Chinese ethnicity were less likely to experience functional difficulty compared to children of Malay ethnicity.ConclusionsThis study provides baseline findings on the prevalence of functional difficulty among children in Malaysia using nationally representative data. Although the prevalence was relatively low, the information is important for the planning of strategies to improve the development and well-being of children in Malaysia and for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To identify age-adjusted poisoning episode rates, and poison control center contacts due to poisonings in children under 6 years old based on 1997-1999 National Health Interview Survey data; and compare findings with 1997-1999 Toxic Exposure Surveillance System data. Secondary analysis of National Health Interview Survey poisoning episode data for children 5 years and younger. Respondents were asked about poison exposures during the previous 3 months. Based on National Health Interview Survey population weighted data there were 196/10,000 poisonings to young children < 6 years. These exposures resulted primarily from harmful solid or liquid substances. A poison control center was called in 86% of exposures to children < 4 years, but only in 70% of the 4-5 year old exposures. The odds of a poison control center not being called were 3.2 times greater for 4-5 year olds (compared to < or = 3 years) and 4.5 times greater for African-American (compared with White-Americans). Comparison of National Health Interview Survey data with data in the 1997-1999 Annual Reports of the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System revealed the number of estimated exposures in the National Health Interview Survey data were approximately half those reported in the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System data. In both datasets, children 1-2 years of age had the highest percent of poisoning exposures. Using multiple datasets to explore poisoning rates in young children provides a broader perspective. Differences in findings reflect divergent data collection methods and biases inherent in each database. Although the majority of National Health Interview Survey respondents reporting contacting a poison control center for a poisoning exposure, rates are lower in specific subgroups indicating a need for targeted educational efforts.

Mental health problems, particularly anxiety and depression, remain among the leading causes of disease burden in the US. However, trends in anxiety and depression across disability status and demographics remain understudied. To examine trends in anxiety and depression prevalence among US adults from 2019 to 2023 by disability status and demographic characteristics. This cross-sectional study used national population-based data from the National Health Interview Surveys from 2019 to 2023. Data were collected from household probability samples of noninstitutionalized US civilian adults aged at least 18 years. Data analyses were performed from December 6, 2024, to November 19, 2025. Disability status (measured using Washington Group on Disability Statistics Short Set on Functioning), race and ethnicity, sex, and nativity. The primary outcomes were self-reported anxiety or depression symptoms, assessed using the Washington Group on Disability Statistics Extended Set on Functioning. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate age-standardized prevalence trends and average annual percentage change (AAPC) across disability status, race and ethnicity, sex, and nativity. A total of 150 220 adults were examined (81 525 [51.3%] female; 48 814 individuals [32.3%] aged 45-64 years; 126 051 individuals [81.1%] born in the US), including 16 172 Black individuals (11.9%), 20 427 Hispanic or Latino individuals (17.7%), 12 221 individuals (8.9%) who identified as another race or ethnicity, and 101 400 White individuals (61.4%). There were 15 519 respondents (8.2%) with general disability status and 60 248 respondents (42.3%) with anxiety or depression. From 2019 to 2023, anxiety or depression prevalence increased significantly among individuals without disabilities (AAPC, 3.93; 95% CI, 2.15-5.75). Prevalence increased across all racial and ethnic groups without disabilities, with the highest increases among Black respondents (AAPC, 4.77; 95% CI, 0.61-9.10) and respondents who identified as another race or ethnicity (AAPC, 6.95; 95% CI, 2.56-11.53). Prevalence increased only among females without disabilities (AAPC, 3.50; 95% CI, 2.14-4.87), while increases were observed among males with (AAPC, 3.25; 95% CI, 0.41-6.17) and without (AAPC, 4.62; 95% CI, 1.70-7.63) disabilities. Individuals born outside the US without disabilities experienced higher increases (AAPC, 5.57; 95% CI, 3.10-8.11) than those with disabilities (AAPC, 3.46; 95% CI, 0.06-6.98) and individuals born in the US without disabilities (AAPC, 3.75; 95% CI, 2.14-5.40). Across race and ethnicity, sex, and nativity intersections, Black female individuals born outside the US without disabilities exhibited the highest increase (AAPC, 14.89; 95% CI, 0.48-31.36). This cross-sectional study found increasing trends in anxiety or depression prevalence, particularly among individuals without disabilities, individuals born outside the US, and Black individuals and those who did not identify as Black, Hispanic, or White, as well as males and individuals born outside the US with disabilities. These findings emphasize the need for targeted mental health interventions addressing disparities across disability status and demographic intersections.

Background: Cancer survivors diagnosed at childhood, adolescent and young adults age face psychological distress in the form of depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. In addition, psychological distress has been found to have an impact on the medical expenditures of cancer survivors. Previous studies have examined psychological distress in survivors of childhood, and young adult cancers (AYA) and found them to be high, whether this increasing or decreasing over the years is unknown. The aim of our study was to examine trends in psychological distress among survivors of childhood AYA cancers. Methods: We analyzed the 2008-2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, a cross-sectional household interview survey of the US civilian, non-institutionalized population that uses a multistage area probability design. We identified individuals (n=6,175) who were diagnosed with cancer between 0 to 39 years of age. Psychological distress was assessed using the validated Kessler 6-item scale. Using a 30-day reference period, respondents’ rate how often they felt nervous, hopeless, restless or fidgety, so sad that nothing could cheer them up, that everything was an effort, and worthless. Response options include ‘never’, ‘a little of the time’, ‘some of the time’, ‘most of the time’, and ‘all of the time’. Responses were scored and added to produce a range of 0–24. We defined mild distress as a score of less &amp;lt;5, moderate distress as a score between 5-13 and severe distress as a score of &amp;gt;13. Joinpoint regression estimated yearly increases/decreases in psychological distress using annual percent changes. Results: Overall, the proportion of childhood and AYA cancer survivors with moderate distress decreased slightly between 2008 and 2014 but increased from 2014-2018 by 5% per year, though not statistically significant. However, the proportion of childhood and AYA cancer survivors with mild and severe distress remained relatively stable throughout the study period. The proportion of females and males with moderate distress increased by an average of 5% and 6% annually from 2014-2018 respectively, however, the increase was not statistically significant. The proportion of childhood and AYA cancer survivors who were married with moderate distress increased by 8% from 2014-2018 whereas survivors who were never married with severe distress decreased by 29% in the same time range. Conclusion: There is an increase in the number of survivors with moderate psychological distress while mild psychological distress has declined from 2014-15 onwards. Severe distress has remained relatively stable in all the years. Citation Format: Pranali G. Patel, Chaitali S Dagli, Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, Mrudula Nair, Dina K. Abouelella, Oluwole A. Babatunde, Shreya P. Ramkumar, Eric Adjei Boakye. Trends in psychological distress among adult survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancers: Analysis of 2008-2018 National Health Interview Survey data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B021.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has provided data about health behaviors at the national level since 1957. The 1987 and 1992 Cancer Control Supplements to the NHIS, along with other supplemental surveys administered intermittently on self-reported cancer-related behaviors, have contributed to important research and public health purposes. In this article, we reviewed 73 papers published between 1980 and 2001 that used NHIS data, including the first report from the 1998 NHIS, to examine what has been learned from past surveys. Our goal was to facilitate future analyses of recently released data on cancer screening practices from the Cancer Control Supplement to the 2000 NHIS, which is now known as the Cancer Control Module. We categorized the papers according to which of the following three study approaches they used: trends in screening rates, correlates of these rates with factors that may influence screening, and linkages or comparisons of NHIS data with other surveys or sources of information. We summarize knowledge gained in cancer screening for each of these three categories and identify areas that could benefit from more research. We highlight some of the new information available for the first time on the Cancer Control Module of the 2000 NHIS as fresh opportunities for cancer control research. Finally, we describe how the Cancer Control Supplements to the NHIS are integrated with the objectives of and developments in national cancer surveillance research that have emerged from federal planning efforts and collaborations with national partners in cancer surveillance in recent years.

The NHIS offers unique information on DS use in parent‐child pairs, including information on perceived health and other characteristics not obtained by other national health surveys. In NHIS 37% of children used DS (n=9227). Child use was lower than parent use but similar by type of DS. Users differed from nonusers in socio‐demographics (Asian, White, Non‐Hispanic race/ethnicity, region of residence, higher family parental education and income, private health insurance, usual place of receiving conventional medical care) and proxy reported health status (“good/very good/excellent” health), rare doctor visits &amp; hospitalizations. Children received DS for prevention or treatment of many illnesses &amp; conditions. Neither reasons nor specific types of DS were associated with particular conditions. NHIS data can be used to describe DS use in a much different way than that of NHANES. The strengths and limitations of both surveys for addressing DS use will be discussed. Funding: ODS/NIH; NCCAM/NIH; and USDA HNRCA/Tufts.

BackgroundThe All of Us Research Program aims to collect longitudinal health-related data from a million individuals in the United States. An inherent challenge of a non-probability sampling strategy through voluntary participation in All of Us is that findings may not be nationally representative for addressing health and health care at the population level. We generated survey weights for the All of Us data that can be used to address the challenge. Research designWe developed raked weights using demographic, health, and socioeconomic variables available in both the 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and All of Us. We then compared the unweighted and weighted prevalence of a set of health-related variables (health behaviors, health conditions, and health insurance coverage) estimated from All of Us data with the weighted prevalence estimates obtained from NHIS data. SubjectsThe sample included 100,391 All of Us participants 18 years of age and older with complete data collected between May 2017 and January 2022 across the United States. ResultsFinal variables in the raking procedure included age, sex, race/ethnicity, region of residence, annual household income, and home ownership. The mean percentage difference between known proportions obtained from the NHIS and All of Us was reduced by 18.89% for health-related variables after applying the raked weights. ConclusionsRaking improved the comparability of prevalence estimates obtained from All of Us to known national prevalence estimates. Refining the process of variable selection for raking may further improve the comparability between All of Us and nationally representative data.