State-Based and Demographic Variation in Parent- Reported Medication Rates for Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 2007–2008

Medication is the most effective treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. We used data from the 2007-2008 National Survey of Children’s Health to calculate weighted estimates of parent-reported ADHD and medication treatment among US children aged 4 to 17 years, by state and sex-stratified age. State-based rates of ADHD medication treatment ranged from 33 % in Nevada to 79 % in Mississippi; rates of medicated ADHD were higher among boys than girls at every age. State-based investigations of ADHD medication treatment factors are needed, and our findings may inform these public health efforts. Objective Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood (1); 4.1 million (7.2%) US school-aged children have a current diagnosis (2). Medication is the single most effective treatment (3,4), and monitoring ADHD treatment patterns is important for improving treatment in this population. We recently published estimates of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis, by state and relevant demographics (2). The objective of this study was to estimate 2007 rates of medication treatment of ADHD, by state and sex-stratified age. Method