Abstract

COBAS RUIZ, Marcia et al. Epidemiological and social characterization of the mentally-retarded people in Cuba. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2011, vol.37, n.1. ISSN 0864-3466.

Objective To characterize the mentally-retarded people in Cuba from the epidemiological and social viewpoints. Methods The study covered the whole Cuban population, particularly those people with mental retardation taken as target population. The active screening carried out in the community allowed identifying the registered and non-registered persons with this condition, with the support of the local governments and social organizations. Home visits allowed using a combination of interviews and clinical tests to facilitate the process of classification and registration of these persons. Results A total of 140 489 people were studied throughout the country. The prevalence rate of mental retardation in Cuba in the studied period was 1,25 per 100 pop. The provinces which exhibited the highest rates were Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba. The mental retardation was more common in 15-19 years-old group, being slight retardation predominant. The study detected 29 536 people with mental retardation, who had not been previously registered. Being an orphan as an aggravating social factor in mentally-retarded people was very uncommon. Conclusions The active community-wide screening made it possible to identify and include in this study almost 20 % of mentally-retarded persons no previouosly registered. The routine records of these people tend to underestimate the real prevalence of this health problem, which is required to be known in-depth in order to cope with it in a satisfactory way from the medical and social viewpoints.

Keywords : Mental retardation; epidemiology; prevalence; active screening; Cuba.

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