OBJECTIVE: Promoting health during adolescence can support long-term well-being, especially for teens diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who face increased risks due to the disorder's impact on development and health behaviors. ADHD is often associated with difficulties in social interactions, a higher likelihood of bullying involvement, and co-occurring mental health conditions. These factors may also be influenced by health factors such as physical activity, sleep quality, and screen time usage. Nationally representative teen self-reports provide a novel perspective on ADHD-related health outcomes compared with relying on parent reports. METHOD: We used nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and NHIS-Teen from July 2021 to December 2022, to examine teen-reported health and well-being factors, stratified by parent-reported ADHD diagnoses among teens aged 12 to 17 years. Weighted prevalence estimates and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) adjusting for teen age, sex, and family income, all with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated. RESULTS: Just over 10% of teens had ADHD and they reported higher prevalence of bullying victimization (aPR = 1.64, CI = 1.27-2.11), difficulties making friends (aPR = 1.83, CI = 1.15-2.90), difficulty getting out of bed (aPR = 1.29, CI = 1.02-1.64), irregular wake times (aPR = 2.17, CI = 1.45-3.25), and >4 hours daily screen time (aPR = 1.26, CI = 1.05-1.52) than teens without ADHD; teens with ADHD reported a lower prevalence of lacking peer support (aPR = 0.70, CI = 0.51-0.96). CONCLUSION: Teens with ADHD face distinct challenges related to social-emotional well-being and health behaviors that support overall wellness. Findings may inform opportunities for health promotion among teens with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: Our study assessed child-serving health care providers' attitudes and knowledge related to identification and treatment of tic disorders including Tourette syndrome (TS), among children. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2022 Fall DocStyles, a web-based survey of health care providers. The analytic sample included 1058 child-serving providers (403 family practitioners, 232 internists, 251 pediatricians, and 172 nurse practitioners or physician assistants). We calculated point prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals and used χ2 tests to statistically test differences by provider type and metro status of practice setting. RESULTS: Less than two-thirds of providers (62.4%) considered evaluation of tics as their role, less than half (40.8%) considered diagnosis of tic disorders their role, and around one-fourth considered treatment of patients with tic disorders to be their role (27.3%). Lack of knowledge of tics/TS and lack of comfort evaluating patients for tics and tic disorders were the most often reported barriers to identification and diagnosis for most provider types, and across practice metro status categories. Online training was the most preferred source of information about tics and tic disorders overall and for each provider type. CONCLUSION: These findings support previous reports indicating challenges in health care provider comfort and knowledge in identifying and diagnosing tic disorders, and the need for more education opportunities around evaluation and diagnosis. Communication and training to support the needs of child-serving providers could improve the access to care for children with tics and tic disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDD) are common and are associated with poor health and well-being. Monitoring the prevalence of MBDDs among children and factors that may influence health outcomes is important to understanding risk and promoting population health. METHOD: We examined trends in parent-reported lifetime MBDDs among children and associated health promotion and risk indicators from 2016 through 2021 by using data from the National Survey of Children's Health. Estimates of prevalence and average annual percentage change were stratified by specific MBDDs and demographic characteristics (eg, sex, age, race and ethnicity). Children with any MBDDs versus none were compared overall and by MBDD subgroup on health care, family, and community indicators. RESULTS: From 2016 through 2021, MBDD prevalence among children aged 3 to 17 years increased from 25.3% to 27.7%; increases were specific to anxiety, depression, learning disability, developmental delay, and speech or language disorder. Unmet health care needs increased annually by an average of approximately 5% among children with MBDDs. Each year from 2016 to 2021, approximately 60% of children with MBDDs received mental or developmental services in the past 12 months. Each year, a higher percentage of parents of children with MBDDs compared with children without MBDDs reported poor mental health (14.7% MBDD, 5.7% no MBDD) and economic stress (21.6% MBDD, 11.5% no MBDD). CONCLUSION: Increasing prevalence of certain MBDDs and MBDD-associated indicators, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the need for improved pediatric mental health training for health care providers, for prevention and intervention efforts, and for policies addressing economic stability and equitable access to mental health services.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that develops during childhood and can last into adulthood. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System collected during October-November 2023 were used to estimate the prevalence of ADHD diagnosis and treatment among U.S. adults. In 2023, an estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults (6.0%) had a current ADHD diagnosis based on self-report; approximately one half received the diagnosis at age ≥18 years. Approximately one third of adults with ADHD took a stimulant medication to treat their ADHD in the previous year, 71.5% of whom had difficulty getting their ADHD prescription filled because it was unavailable. Approximately one half of adults with ADHD have ever used telehealth for ADHD-related services. Telehealth might have benefits for persons with ADHD, including helping them access behavioral treatment or medication prescriptions for ADHD. This report provides national estimates of the prevalence and treatment of ADHD among U.S. adults to help guide clinical care and regulatory decision-making for ADHD among U.S. adults.

OBJECTIVE: To provide updated national prevalence estimates of diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD severity, co-occurring disorders, and receipt of ADHD medication and behavioral treatment among U.S. children and adolescents by demographic and clinical subgroups using data from the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). METHOD: This study used 2022 NSCH data to estimate the prevalence of ever diagnosed and current ADHD among U.S. children aged 3-17 years. Among children with current ADHD, ADHD severity, presence of current co-occurring disorders, and receipt of medication and behavioral treatment were estimated. Weighted estimates were calculated overall and for demographic and clinical subgroups (n = 45,169). RESULTS: Approximately 1 in 9 U.S. children have ever received an ADHD diagnosis (11.4%, 7.1 million children) and 10.5% (6.5 million) had current ADHD. Among children with current ADHD, 58.1% had moderate or severe ADHD, 77.9% had at least one co-occurring disorder, approximately half of children with current ADHD (53.6%) received ADHD medication, and 44.4% had received behavioral treatment for ADHD in the past year; nearly one third (30.1%) did not receive any ADHD-specific treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ADHD remains an ongoing and expanding public health concern, as approximately 1 million more children had ever received an ADHD diagnosis in 2022 than in 2016. Estimates from the 2022 NSCH provide information on pediatric ADHD during the last full year of the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used by policymakers, government agencies, health care systems, public health practitioners, and other partners to plan for needs of children with ADHD.