Abstract

The objectives of this project are to 1) identify the most meaningful predictors of mortality for mentally retarded persons, 2) to develop refined estimates of life expectancy for these people, 3) to examine the effect of health-related characteristics of residential settings on mortality, and 4) to determine the extent to which information on life expectancy can be useful to families and service systems. Previous studies of life expectancy have focused almost entirely on institutionalized groups of mentally retarded people, and have examined a limited number of predictor variables. Moreover, there has been no systematic examination of the stability of mortality rates over an extended period of time. Although much attention has been focused on the practical and psychological concerns of families of mentally retarded individuals, we have not found any evidence in the literature that the issue of life expectancy has been addressed. In addition to providing more accurate estimates of life expectancy than are currently available, the proposed project will examine the potential uses and benefits of this information for family planning and efficient service delivery.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD021056-02
Application #
3319742
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 1 (HUD)
Project Start
1988-02-01
Project End
1992-01-31
Budget Start
1989-02-01
Budget End
1990-01-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of California Riverside
Department
Type
Schools of Education
DUNS #
City
Riverside
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92521

  Publications

Strauss, D; Kastner, T A; Shavelle, R (1998) Mortality of adults with developmental disabilities living in California institutions and community care, 1985-1994. Ment Retard 36:360-71
Strauss, D (1998) On Miettinen's multivariate confounder score. J Clin Epidemiol 51:233-6
Strauss, D; Shavelle, R; Baumeister, A et al. (1998) Mortality in persons with developmental disabilities after transfer into community care. Am J Ment Retard 102:569-81
Strauss, D; Anderson, T W; Shavelle, R et al. (1998) Causes of death of persons with developmental disabilities: comparison of institutional and community residents. Ment Retard 36:386-91
Strauss, D; Shavelle, R; Anderson, T W et al. (1998) External causes of death among persons with developmental disability: the effect of residential placement. Am J Epidemiol 147:855-62
Strauss, D; Ashwal, S; Shavelle, R et al. (1997) Prognosis for survival and improvement in function in children with severe developmental disabilities. J Pediatr 131:712-7
Strauss, D; Kastner, T; Ashwal, S et al. (1997) Tubefeeding and mortality in children with severe disabilities and mental retardation. Pediatrics 99:358-62
Strauss, D; Kastner, T A (1996) Comparative mortality of people with mental retardation in institutions and the community. Am J Ment Retard 101:26-40
Strauss, D; Eyman, R K; Grossman, H J (1996) Predictors of mortality in children with severe mental retardation: the effect of placement. Am J Public Health 86:1422-9
Strauss, D; Zigman, W B (1996) Behavioral capabilities and mortality risk in adults with and without Down syndrome. Am J Ment Retard 101:269-81

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