Most ADHD U.S. children not treated

CINCINNATI, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A study showed almost 9 percent of U.S. children may meet criteria for attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder but fewer than half are being treated.

The study of more than 3,000 children was designed to represent the entire population of 8- to 15-year-old U.S. children.

The findings, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, showed 8.7 percent -- 2.4 million children -- fulfilled standard criteria for ADHD.

Study leader Dr. Tanya Froehlich, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, reported that each child's parent or caregiver was interviewed by phone about ADHD symptoms, socio-demographic details and whether the child had been diagnosed with ADHD or taken medicine to treat it.

The study showed:

-- Hispanics are less likely than whites to have ADHD.

-- Boys are more likely than girls to meet ADHD criteria.

-- Girls with ADHD are less likely to have their condition recognized.

-- About 48 percent of the children who met ADHD criteria had previously been diagnosed with the condition.

-- The poorest one-fifth of children were more likely than the wealthiest one-fifth to have ADHD.

-- Among children meeting criteria for ADHD, 39 percent had received some medications and 32 percent were consistently given ADHD medications.