Prevalence of mental retardation among children in RS Pura town of Jammu and Kashmir

Objective: To determine the Prevalence of mental retardation in children 3 to 10 years of age. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the framework of a population based, single centre, cross-sectional study at R.S.Pura town, 22 kms south- west of Jammu city. Results: A total of 61 (0.79 percent) of the 7,707 children surveyed had positive screening results on the Ten Questions instrument. 56 (0.72percent) children were diagnosed as suffering from mental retardation. Serious mental retardation was diagnosed in 48 children and mild mental retardation was diagnosed in 8 children. The combined prevalence estimates of mild and serious mental retardation were 7.2/1000. No notable sex differences were observed for either serious or mild retardation. Interpretation: The prevalence rates of mental retardation among children less than 19 years of age in R. S. town compares favorably with studies from developed world.