High rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among children 6 to 17 years old in Southwest Ethiopia findings from a community-based study

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is among the common neuropsychiatric disorders affecting children and adolescents. The disorder affects the life of children, their parents, and the community when left untreated. Although evidence indicated a high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the developed world, there is limited evidence in developing countries, particularly, Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among Ethiopian children aged 6 to 17 years. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2021 among children aged 6 to 17 years in Jimma town. A multistage sampling technique was applied to select 520 study participants. Data were collected by using the Vanderbilt Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- Parent Rating scale as a modified, semi-structured, and face-to-face interview. The association between independent variables and the outcome variable was investigated using bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression. The final model level of significance was set at a p-value of < 0.05. RESULT: A total of 504 participants were involved in the study with a response rate of 96.9%. The overall prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in this study was (9.9%, n = 50). Maternal complication during pregnancy (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.44–8.79, mothers illiteracy (AOR = 3.10, 95% CI = 1.24–7.79), attending primary school (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.32–6.73), history of head trauma (AOR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.25–8.16), maternal alcohol use during pregnancy (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI = 1.26-10), bottle feeding during first six months (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.20–6.93) and child’s age 6–11 years (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI = 1.77–8.43) were significantly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CONCLUSION: In this study, one in ten children and adolescents in Jimma town had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was high. For this reason, there is a need to pay increased attention to control associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reduce its prevalence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-023-04636-9.