Abstract Context: There is a severe shortage of assistive technology (AT) in low- and middle-income countries, where access is limited to only 3% of individuals, compared to 90% in high-income countries. Despite this disparity, there remains a critical lack of data on the prevalence of paediatric disability and the associated need for mobility devices. Aims: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of children living with mobility-related disabilities in India and the proportion of them who would benefit from a mobility device. Subjects and Methods: An environmental scan was carried out using scoping review methodology to synthesise available peer-reviewed and grey literature on paediatric disability in India. Data from the 2011 Indian Census and from the World Health Organization as of 2023 were used to derive population estimates. The current paediatric population with mobility-related disabilities was projected using prevalence estimates from cerebral palsy and other mobility-related disabilities. Finally, published distributions of the Gross Motor Function Classification System levels were used to determine the proportion of children likely to benefit from mobility devices. Results: As of 2023, an estimated 3.28 million children in India were projected to be living with a mobility-related disability. Approximately 37.3% of them would likely benefit from a mobility device. Conclusions: These findings reflect the need for mobility devices and improved access to paediatric AT among children with mobility-related disabilities in India. In addition, they inform rehabilitation professionals and AT vendors about the potential market size and unmet needs in this region.
Ledo et al. (Mon,) studied this question.