Profile of social, environmental and biological correlates in intellectual disability in a resource-poor setting in India

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) is a major public health issue in India. Social, environmental and biological factors all contribute to the nation′s high rate of ID. Objective: We aimed to investigate the distribution, differences and the association of social, environmental and biological...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ram Lakhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2015-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijpm.info/article.asp?issn=0253-7176;year=2015;volume=37;issue=3;spage=311;epage=316;aulast=Lakhan
Description
Summary:Background: Intellectual disability (ID) is a major public health issue in India. Social, environmental and biological factors all contribute to the nation′s high rate of ID. Objective: We aimed to investigate the distribution, differences and the association of social, environmental and biological factors with different types of ID in a mixed (tribal and non-tribal) population in India. Materials and Methods: Secondary data was collected during a community-based rehabilitation project and analyzed with descriptive statistics: Frequency, percentage and χ2 . Results: Poverty, low levels of parental education and a family history of epilepsy and ID were all associated in both tribal and non-tribal populations (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The outcome of this study may be helpful in planning public health initiatives that aim to reduce the burden of ID in mixed populations.
ISSN:0253-7176