Youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities face higher risk of poor cardiovascular health

Youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities face higher risk of poor cardiovascular health | Image Credit: © adobedesigner - stock.adobe.com.

Youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are more likely to experience poor cardiovascular health (CVH) compared to their peers without such disabilities, according to findings from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health.

Using a modified version of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scoring system, researchers assessed CVH among children ages 3 to 17. The scoring system included measures such as sleep duration, smoking or exposure to tobacco, diabetes, obesity (based on BMI percentile), heart conditions, and dyslipidemia. A composite CVH score was calculated using sleep, smoking, diabetes, and obesity data.

Children were classified as having an NDD based on diagnostic criteria from the DSM, including conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, intellectual disability, and learning disorders.

Key differences in cardiovascular health metrics

Of the 57,094 youth included in the study, 12,134 were identified as having an NDD. Compared to youth without NDD, those with NDD had significantly lower scores across several health indicators:

• Age-inappropriate sleep duration: 63.4% (NDD) vs 55.3% (non-NDD)
• Smoking or tobacco exposure: 94.5% (non-NDD) vs 90.7% (NDD)
• Diabetes: 95.2% (non-NDD) vs 90.2% (NDD)
• Obesity: 80.0% (non-NDD) vs 73.2% (NDD)
• Heart condition: 95.4% (non-NDD) vs 93.8% (NDD)
• Dyslipidemia: 98.1% (non-NDD) vs 95% (NDD)

Overall, CVH was also lower among youth with NDD, with a composite score of 91.0 compared to 93.9 for those without NDD (p < 0.0001).

Increased odds of poor cardiovascular health

The odds of having a heart condition were nearly twice as high for youth with NDD (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.51–2.42), and the likelihood of poor overall CVH was also significantly greater (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.45–1.62). These results remained consistent even after adjusting for potential selection bias using propensity score matching.

Implications for pediatric care

“Neurodevelopmental disability is associated with poorer CVH status in youth,” the researchers concluded. They emphasized that strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular health in children should pay special attention to those with NDD to help close this health gap.

Reference:

Baker-Smith CM, Zhang Z, Patterson F, Brewer B, Tsai JM, Bhat A. Cardiovascular Health Among Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disability: Analysis of National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH)-2021. Abstract. Presented at: 2025 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting. Honolulu, Hawaii.