Skip to main content

Table 2 Results of meta-regression childhood autism (18 studies)

From: Prevalence of autism in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Univariate analyses

Covariate

Categories of covariate

Number of studies

Odds ratio

95%CI

P value

Variance explained (%)

No covariates

 

18

    

Year (continuous)

 

18

1.04

(0.93, 1.17)

0.43

−5.09

Year (categorical)

2000 to 2004

5

1.00

-

-

−10.92

2005 to 2009

6

1.13

(0.42, 3.08)

0.80

 

2010 to 2011

7

1.44

(0.55, 3.77)

0.43

 

Age group

<4

5

1.00

-

-

56.00

4

8

1.06

(0.56, 2.02)

0.84

 

>4

5

0.33

(0.16, 0.68)

0.005

 

Area

Urban

9

1.00

-

-

−8.40

Mixed or rural

8

0.81

(0.38, 1.75)

0.57

 

Rural

1

0.64

(0.09, 4.37)

0.62

 

Sample group

≤5000

5

1.00

-

-

7.43

5000 to 7500

5

1.43

(0.54, 3.80)

0.44

 

>7500

8

0.74

(0.30, 1.80)

0.48

 

Sample source

Population-based

13

1.00

1.00

 

−0.19

Schools or kindergartens

4

1.44

(0.60, 3.48)

0.39

 

Screening method

Interview

15

1.00

-

-

−0.89

Questionnaire

2

1.64

(0.54, 4.98)

0.36

 

Screening tool

CABS

12

1.00

-

 

76.99

ABC

3

0.21

(0.11, 0.38)

<0.001

 

CHAT

3

1.25

(0.71, 2.20)

0.42

 

Time

Once

13

1.00

1.00

 

−2.10

Twice

4

1.40

(0.60, 3.27)

0.41

 

Screening informant

Clinician

8

1.00

-

-

−13.86

Parent

3

0.93

(0.31, 2.75)

0.88

 

Research

6

0.90

(0.38, 2.10)

0.79

 

Diagnostic criteria

CCMD-2-R

5

1.00

-

-

−5.34

DSM-III-R/DSM-IV/ICD-10

12

1.23

(0.52, 2.87)

0.62

 

Diagnostic tool

None

6

1.00

-

 

2.54

CABS

11

1.51

(0.71, 3.21)

0.27

 

Diagnostic informant

Clinician

13

1.00

-

-

8.19

Researcher

4

0.47

(0.19, 1.17)

0.10

 

Multivariable analyses

Age group

<4

5

1.00

-

-

80.7

4

8

1.61

(0.68, 3.81)

0.26

>4

5

1.03

(0.34, 3.04)

0.96

Screening tool

CABS

12

1.00

1.00

-

ABC

3

0.29

(0.12, 0.69)

0.009

 

CHAT

3

1.79

(0.70, 4.55)

0.20

 
  1. ABC, Autism Behavior Checklist; CABS, Clancy Autism Behavior Scale; CCMD-2-R, Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, 2nd edition, revised; CHAT, Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; CI, confidence interval; SM-III-R, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition; ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision;-, data not available.
Back to article page

Molecular Autism

ISSN: 2040-2392