RISK FACTORS FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

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We are finishing the second and final year of data collection for the study. Data collection should end in July, 2000. We have achieved an 84% response rate from parents in the study, which is high for this type of community based study. About 98% of the 350 teachers in the study have participated and filled out information about themselves, their class, and their students. Overall, we have continued to have strong support for the study from the School Administration, from teachers and staff, and from parents. So far we have completed about 1000 interviews with parents; we hope to ultimately complete interviews on 650 cases and 650 controls. We are starting a clinical sub-study on 50 cases identified using our epidemiologic case definition. These children and their mothers will be interviewed by a clinician using a semi-structured interview and we will collect school records, teacher ratings, and psychological test results. The goal of the sub-study is to see what proportion of our cases would best be explained by another disorder if they had been seen in a physician's office with access to all the data about the child. This is an important study because ADHD is such a controversial diagnosis. I have linked our cohort files with the State lead testing registry files. We have been working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to obtain data on the distribution of stimulant use across North Carolina Counties. This will enable us to determine whether rates in Johnston County are atypical