September 2018 – This journal article published in The Lancet Global Health describes how the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence and years lived with disability for development disabilities among children younger than 5 years in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016.
Epidemiological data on developmental disabilities to guide comprehensive health policy engagements at global, regional, and national levels are scarce. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study offers an independent source of robust age-specific data on non-fatal health outcomes. This analysis provides baseline data for monitoring the trends in these metrics over time among children younger than 5 years during the SDG era. Leading causes of specific developmental disabilities are also examined.