POPULATION-BASED STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD DISABILITY IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES - RATIONALE AND STUDY DESIGN

Infant mortality level has been used for decades to indicate the health and socioeconomic status of populations. Given the relative availability of necessary data, this indicator has proved most viable. As the more glaring aspects of underdevelopment fade into history in some countries, other health status indices should be considered. Childhood disability is proposed as 1 such indicator. Disability is neither subsumed by nor necessarily correlated with declining infant mortality, and may thus be used to help identify solutions for both short- and longterm problems. To employ this indicator, one needs to know how various types of disabilities are spread through populations as well as the correlated risk factors. Methodology must be developed which is capable of rapidly identifying cases and assessing risk factors. A 2-stage method, comprised of screening and clinical evaluation, is described.