Prevention of Health Risk Behaviors in ADHD Youth: Is ADHD Treatment Enough?

Abstract

Learning in ADHD Students, 8 • Research Findings, 10 ADHD confers risk for a variety of life difficulties into adulthood, including higher rates of injuries, hospitalizations, and medical treatment. These health problems result in twice the average healthcare costs for young people with ADHD compared to those without (Leibson, Katusic, Barbaresi, Ransom, & O’Brien, 2001). Beginning in childhood and adolescence, ADHD is associated with a number of health risk behaviors that contribute to chronic medical problems, namely substance use, binge eating and obesity, and risky sexual behavior. Despite these risks, individuals with ADHD have not been specifically targeted for prevention and health promotion efforts, and no previous review has systematically examined how the mechanisms underlying the connection between ADHD and health risk behaviors may inform prevention strategies. Further, relatively little is known about whether evidencebased treatments for ADHD, including stimulant medications and behavioral interventions, impact health behaviors and affect long-term health risks. This paper summarizes the literature on the relation of ADHD to three health risk behaviors—substance use, disordered eating, and risky sexual behavior—and discusses how potential mechanisms underlying these risks may inform intervention strategies. Specifically, we will examine two potential pathways for improving medical health in this large, high-risk population—through direct treatment of ADHD symptoms and through intervention to modify social and contextual risk factors that contribute to health problems.