Autism Spectrum Disorder and Associated Factors in Children in Spain, 2017: Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

ObjectivesAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with biological, multicausal and polygenic origins. The true prevalence of ASD has not been clearly established. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ASD in children aged 3 to 14 years in Spain and to analyze the factors associated with it.MethodsA cross-sectional observational study using data from the 2017 National Survey of Health in Minors in Spain. Primary outcome was the diagnosis of ASD, and sociodemographic, behavioral, health-related, the use of health services, household and medication use variables was analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression model with a correction for modelling rare events was fitted. Complex sampling was undertaken, using the survey elevation factor in the analysis.ResultsA total of 4409 children were included, and there were 26 children with ASD, for a prevalence of 0.59%, representing 29,143 children with ASD. Factors significantly associated were male sex, having visited a psychologist, and/or a speech therapist in the past year, presenting probable problems with peers, antisocial behavior, taking antibiotics and taking other medications.ConclusionThe findings of this study may be useful to inform health policies and develop strategic plans to identify and address the needs of children with ASD. Autism Spectrum Disorder are not as well researched as other more common health problems. This is due to several factors, including economic or logistics reasons such as the difficulty of having enough cases to investigate. We estimate that some 29,143 children. They were mostly boys, with more visits to psychologists and/or speech therapist, presenting probable problems with their peers, greater antisocial behavior and taking more antibiotics than children without ASD. Knowing the magnitude of this disorder, and the factors that are associated, can help to develop effective health policies, and develop health plans that can help people with this disorder.