Swallowing and Voice Difficulties in Children: Prevalence and Contributors to Receipt of Specialized Services

Purpose: This study used a nationally representative sample of children aged 3–17 years to evaluate the likelihood of having a voice or swallowing disorder, the reported duration and extent of the condition, as well as the likelihood of seeing a health professional for treatment or evaluation. Method: Multivariable logistic regression was applied to data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey to calculate the prevalence of voice and swallowing difficulties in children and evaluate differences in duration, severity, and likelihood of treatment for these difficulties accounting for demographic, household, and environmental heterogeneity. Results: Analyses showed that 2.26% and 4.40% of children had difficulty with swallowing and voice, respectively, but only 21.4% and 12.4% of those with swallowing and of voice difficulty saw a health professional. Children with developmental disabilities (DD) were more likely to have voice (odds ratio [ OR ] = 1.49, confidence interval [CI; 1.28, 1.74]) and swallowing ( OR = 1.71, CI [1.14, 2.58]) difficulties. Hispanic children ( OR = 0.38, CI [0.21, 0.69]) were less likely to have swallowing difficulties than White children while those in low-income households ( OR = 2.55, CI [1.02, 6.36]) were more likely than their counterparts. Among children with swallowing problems, those in low ( OR = 3.706, CI [1.13, 6.85]) and middle ( OR = 3.11, CI [1.81, 8.43]) income households had a greater degree of difficulty than their counterparts and likelihood of treatment for swallowing was lower in nonmetropolitan areas ( OR = 0.03, CI [0.01, 0.12]). Conclusion: This study highlighted the prevalence of swallowing and voice difficulty and showed disparities in both the severity and the likelihood of treatment among children in low-income household and nonmetropolitan areas.