摘要：Utility of a checklist of 18 attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms was analyzed in 342 children and adolescents of both gender from general population of Manizales, and in 214 children and adolescents from 151 families belonging to the Antioquian genetic isolate. The checklist showed that the adhd groups of both samples had significant higher scores on the dimensions of inattention, hyperactivity and total score than the control groups. The post-hoc Tukey’ s analysis of the general population sample found three significantly different groups (control, combined and inattentive). The questionnaire had a sensitivity and specificity of 81.1%, corresponding to a checklist 18.5 total score. In the sample from the families, sensitivity and specificity was over 84% for inattention and the total score. That means that the adhd checklist can be used as screening instrument for prevalence and incidence studies. Also it would be used for adhd genetic studies as a quantitative trait.
