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. 2012 Feb;169(2):160-6.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11030387.

Stimulant medication use in children: a 12-year perspective

Samuel H Zuvekas  1 , Benedetto Vitiello
Affiliations

Stimulant medication use in children: a 12-year perspective

Samuel H Zuvekas et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: The authors examined the utilization of stimulant medications for the treatment of ADHD in U.S. children during the period 1996–2008 to determine trends by age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income, and geographic region.

Method: The 1996–2008 database of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative annual survey of U.S. households, was analyzed for therapeutic stimulant use in children age 18 and younger. The data for 1987 were also recalculated for reference.

Results: An estimated 3.5% (95% confidence interval=3.0–4.1) of U.S. children received stimulant medication in 2008, up from 2.4% in 1996. Over the period 1996–2008, stimulant use increased consistently at an overall annual growth rate of 3.4%. Use increased in adolescents (annual growth, 6.5%), but it did not significantly change in 6- to 12-year-olds, and it decreased in preschoolers. Use remained higher in boys than in girls, and it remained consistently lower in the West than in other U.S. regions. While differences by family income have disappeared over time, use of stimulants in ADHD treatment is significantly lower in racial/ethnic minorities.

Conclusions: Overall, pediatric stimulant use has been slowly but steadily increasing since 1996, primarily as a result of greater use in adolescents. Use in preschoolers remains low and has declined over time. Important variations related to racial/ethnic background and geographic region persist, thus indicating a substantial heterogeneity in the approach to the treatment of ADHD in U.S. communities.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclaimer/Disclosure: The opinions and assertions contained in this report are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute of Mental Health, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Trends in Prevalence of Stimulant Use in the U.S. Population 18 years and Younger 1987–2008
Source: Authors’ calculations from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) 1996–2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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