Previous studies had found the diagnosis was far more likely in white kids.
In past studies that found higher rates of ADHD diagnoses in white kids, researchers hypothesized there were racial differences in access to health professionals or perhaps racial differences in attitudes that make white parents more likely to seek an ADHD diagnosis than black parents.
About 17% of black children had ever been diagnosed, compared with about 15% of white kids and about 12% of Hispanic kids, the report found.
But there are good reasons why ADHD may be as or more common in black kids, he said.
ADHD has been called the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in U.S. children, with more than 6 million kids diagnosed.