The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness survey was designed to revisit data collected as part of a previous survey conducted in 2002 with parents across a number of different ethnic groups including Hispanics. Five years since this first survey of attitudes and awareness of ADHD, data re-visited within the Hispanic community reveals that there are still barriers to appropriate treatment.  While the majority of parents are somewhat or very familiar with ADHD, more than one-third (36%) of Hispanic parents report that if their child had ADHD they would not know where to go for help — an increase from 31% in the 2002 survey. For many Hispanic parents, issues of information, cost, access to services, and cultural and linguistic proficiency in the health system continue to be barriers.

Lack of Awareness of Resources about ADHD

As in the 2002 survey, a majority of Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents report they are familiar with ADHD and correctly identify symptoms. However, Hispanic parents are more likely to say they would not know where to go for help if they believed their child might have ADHD.

Table 1
Familiarity with ADHD

"How familiar are you with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, sometimes known as ADHD?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Not at all familiar	8	4
Not very familiar	17	12
Somewhat familiar	50	52
Very familiar	25	32

Table 2
Familiarity with symptoms of ADHD

"Which of the following do you think are eight symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?" [List of symptoms presented]	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
No symptoms correctly identified	15	8
1-3 symptoms correctly identified	10	10
4-8 symptoms correctly identified	75	82

Table 3
Awareness of Resources for ADHD

"If you were told your child might have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), would you know where to go for help?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Yes	64	78
No	36	22

Key Barriers: Information, Cost, and Access to Healthcare

A majority of Hispanic parents report that they have not received information about ADHD in the language of their preference. Hispanic parents are also more likely than non-Hispanic parents to report that cost, not wanting their child to take medication and access to healthcare have a great deal of impact on children not getting the treatment they need. One in four Hispanic parents report that language barriers with a healthcare professional also have a great deal of impact on not getting treatment for ADHD.

Table 4
ADHD Information in Preferred Language

"Have you ever received information about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the language of your preference?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Yes	36	47
No	59	48
Not sure	5	ADHD Awareness Frequency Report: pg. 6, question 13  5

Table 5
ADHD Treatment Access Barriers

;"How much do you think each of the following prevents children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from getting appropriate treatment?" [% A Great Deal]	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Parents not having information on ADHD	54	41
The cost of treatment	54	41
Parents not wanting their child to take medication	53	47
Access to healthcare professionals	35	24
Language barriers (between parent/child and healthcare professional)	26	11

Other Barriers

Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents believe that concerns about what others may think are barriers to effective diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, as are concerns about children being ;"labeled." Moreover, a majority of both groups reported that they would worry somewhat or very much about discrimination if their child were diagnosed with ADHD.

Table 6
Social Barriers to Diagnosis of ADHD

"How often do you think parents' decisions about whether or not to have their child evaluated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by a healthcare professional are affected by their concerns about what others might think?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Never	3	2
Rarely	12	6
Sometimes	40	47
Often	33	34
Very often	12	11

Table 7
Social Barriers to Treatment of ADHD

"How often do you think parents' decisions about whether or not to have their child treated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by a healthcare professional are affected by their concerns about what others might think?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Never	3	3
Rarely	11	10
Sometimes	39	42
Often	32	31
Very often	15	14

Table 8
Fear of Discrimination

"If your child were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) how much would you feel worried about your child being discriminated against because of ADHD?"	Hispanic %	Non-Hispanic %
Not at all	22	19
Not very much	14	20
Somewhat	34	38
Very much	30	23

Methodology

The 2007 ADHD Awareness Survey was conducted for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health by Richard Day Research, Inc. (RDR), with the support of McNeil Pediatrics, a Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. The survey was designed to revisit data collected as part of the Cultural Attitudes & Perceptions about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder survey conducted in 2002 for McNeil Pediatrics.

The 2007 ADHD Awareness Survey fielded between August 29 and September 5, 2007 by RDR through an online panel supplied by Survey Sampling International. It included 500 Hispanic parents with children ages 6 to 17, and a comparison group of 500 non-Hispanic parents with children ages 6 to 17.

Respondents had the choice of taking the survey in either Spanish or English. Seven percent of Hispanic respondents opted for Spanish. Of all Hispanic respondents, 4% reported using Spanish more than English in their daily life (with family, friends, and at work or school) with another 23% reporting that they used both languages equally.

Data were weighted by age, education, and income to accurately reflect the true population of Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents with children ages 6 to 17 based on the most recent U.S. census data.

Limitations of the data. The survey online design was limited by the fact that, according to the 2007 Pew Internet & American Life Survey, 56% of Hispanic adults go online compared to 71% of non-Hispanic whites and 60% of non-Hispanic blacks. Also 78% of English-dominant compared to 32% of Spanish-dominant Hispanic adults report that they go online. This accounted in part for the fact that the number of Hispanic respondents choosing to take the survey in Spanish (7%) was lower than other national surveys. The survey findings are also limited in the fact that the percent of parents reporting that their children were covered by health insurance (85%) was higher than the 2006 Current Population Survey figures (78%). These factors likely resulted in an underestimate of the Hispanic population experiencing barriers to receiving ADHD information in the language of preference and access to ADHD evaluation and treatment services.

About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is the nation's foremost source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 14 million each year, making a daily difference in the lives of Hispanic communities and families. For more information, visit www.hispanichealth.org or call the Alliance's Su Familia National Hispanic Family Health Helpline at 866-783-2645.

For more information about ADHD —
Call: 1-866-783-2645
Visit: http://www.hispanichealth.org/adhd/
Text: ADHD to 30644

The sponsorship of this program was made possible by McNeil Pediatrics, a Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc.