TRENDS AND FEATURES OF THE DYNAMICS OF CHILDHOOD DISABILITY IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Topicality. The problem of childhood disability is multifaceted. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), there are almost 240 million children with disabilities in the world – that is, every tenth child. In Ukraine, the number of children with disabilities is about 160,000 and tends to grow, especially in war conditions. Accordingly, their needs are growing, in particular in medical care, rehabilitation, adapted infrastructure, inclusive education and a barrier-free environment. Studying the epidemiology of childhood disability is the basis for identifying current problems and calculating the necessary resources to support these children. Purpose of the study. To analyze the trends in child disability indicators in Ukraine from 2006 to 2023, determine key patterns of disability changes by age, gender, and primary causes, and assess regional characteristics. Materials and methods. The study analyzed official statistical data from reports and analytical-statistical directories of the Medical Statistics Center under the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The research methods used included bibliosemantic, epidemiological, medical-statistical, and analytical approaches. Research results. In 2023, the overall disability rate was 216.2 cases per 10,000 children, while the primary disability rate was 25.9 per 10,000 children aged 0–17 years. Between 2006 and 2023, overall child disability increased by 13.2%, while primary disability rose by 16.1%. A peak in both indicators occurred in 2023, with primary disability increasing by 18.3% within a year. Children aged 7–17 years constituted the majority (almost 80%) of those with disabilities. Child disability exhibits regional characteristics: the highest disability rates were recordedin western regions of Ukraine and the Chernihiv region. An analysis of overall disability dynamics across specific agegroups revealed a clear trend of increasing disability rates with age. The leading causes of child disability were congenital anomalies (27.1%), mental and behavioral disorders (22.3%), and nervous system diseases (14.3%). The analysis of overall disability trends by primary causes demonstrated varying changes. However, the most concerning trend is the increase in overall disability due to mental and behavioral disorders, which has risen by 22.1% over the past three years.Conclusions. It is advisable to conduct an in-depth study of the rehabilitation status of children with disabilities, as well as the prevention of severe disabling diseases among children and the assessment of the quality of medical care providedto them in different regions.