Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Aug;59(6):781-786.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2018.59.6.781.

Incidence of Cerebral Palsy in Korea and the Effect of Socioeconomic Status: A Population-Based Nationwide Study

Seong Woo Kim  1 , Ha Ra Jeon  1 , Ji Cheol Shin  2 , Taemi Youk  3 , Jiyong Kim  4   5
Affiliations

Incidence of Cerebral Palsy in Korea and the Effect of Socioeconomic Status: A Population-Based Nationwide Study

Seong Woo Kim et al. Yonsei Med J. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes serious disability. Prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) are known to be the strongest risk factors of CP. While socioeconomic status (SES) has been found to influence the occurrence of CP, prematurity, and LBW, no studies have investigated this effect in Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of CP, prematurity, and LBW in Korea, as well as the effect of SES thereon.

Materials and methods: Data were obtained from the National Health Information Database from 2007 to 2013; persons with a history of CP, prematurity, and LBW were investigated by year. SES was defined in accordance with income quintiles, birth regions, and coverage classification.

Results: The incidence of CP decreased over the last five years, despite increased rates of prematurity and LBW. CP incidence was significantly lower in affluent groups than in the most deprived group, although this difference disappeared after controlling for confounders. The incidence of CP was significantly higher in medical aid beneficiaries, even after controlling for confounders.

Conclusion: CP incidence in Korea has decreased over the last five years, despite an increase in high-risk deliveries. Income level had no effect in CP incidence. These results may aid CP management and prevention policies.

Keywords: Cerebral palsy; incidence; low birth weight; premature birth; socioeconomic factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Incidence of CP, prematurity, and LBW by year. CP, cerebral palsy; LBW, low birth weight.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Incidence of cerebral palsy according to income group by year.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Durkin MS, Maenner MJ, Benedict RE, Van Naarden Braun K, Christensen D, Kirby RS, et al. The role of socio-economic status and perinatal factors in racial disparities in the risk of cerebral palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2015;57:835–843. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moon SJ, Choi Y, Chung CY, Sung KH, Cho BC, Chung MK, et al. Normative values of physical examinations commonly used for cerebral palsy. Yonsei Med J. 2017;58:1170–1176. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hjern A, Thorngren-Jerneck K. Perinatal complications and socio-economic differences in cerebral palsy in Sweden - a national cohort study. BMC Pediatr. 2008;8:49. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dolk H, Pattenden S, Bonellie S, Colver A, King A, Kurinczuk JJ, et al. Socio-economic inequalities in cerebral palsy prevalence in the United Kingdom: a register-based study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2010;24:149–155. - PubMed
    1. Dowding VM, Barry C. Cerebral palsy: social class differences in prevalence in relation to birthweight and severity of disability. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1990;44:191–195. - PMC - PubMed