PRECARE (PREschooler care, Community resources, Advocacy, Referral, Education):

Developing a Pediatrics-based Social Needs Intervention to Reduce Disparities in ADHD Outcomes for Low-income Children


Social and environmental factors play a significant role in the development and expression of ADHD symptoms in young children. Socioeconomic disadvantage and associated social adversities emerge as strong risk factors for ADHD and associated future problems as early as the preschool years. Thus, we hypothesize that addressing adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) such as food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of access to quality child care early and intensively in young children with ADHD symptoms could alter the course of this chronic condition. We are currently recruiting parents of preschool age children (36-71 months) with attention problems to participate in a 3 month pediatrics-based social needs screening and referral intervention.

This study is funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health through a K23 grant.