Adults with One or More Functional Disabilities — United States, 2011–2014

Abstract

Nearly 40 million persons in the United States have a disability, as defined by responses to six questions recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the national standard for identifying disabilities in population-based health surveys (1). Although these questions have been used to estimate prevalence of functional disabilities overall, as well as types of functional disabilities (disability type), no study has yet investigated the characteristics of U.S. adults by number of disability types. Knowing the characteristics of persons living with multiple disability types is important for understanding the overall functional status of these persons. CDC analyzed data from the family component of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the years 2011-2014 to estimate the percentage of adults aged 18-64 years with one, two, three, or four or more disability types, by selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Overall, 22.6 million (11.9%) working-age adults were found to have any disability, and in this population, most (12.8 million) persons had only one disability type. A generally consistent pattern between increasing indicators of low socioeconomic status and the number of disability types was observed. Understanding the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of working-age adults with disabilities, including those with multiple disability types, might help to further the inclusion of persons with disabilities in public health programs and policies.

Prevalence of Disabilities and Health Care Access by Disability Status and Type Among Adults — United States, 2016

“…The higher disability prevalence reported here likely resulted from the addition of the hearing disability question in 2016. The reported prevalence of hearing disability (5.9%) is consistent with other reports ( 3 – 5 ), and there were negligible (i.e., <1%) increases in prevalences of the other five disability types from 2013 to 2016.…”

“…Disability-specific factors, such as severity of disability, age at disability onset, or having multiple disability types or comorbidities might partially explain why persons in these age groups, and those reporting self-care and mobility disabilities, had higher prevalences of access to care than did those reporting vision and hearing disabilities ( 5 , 9 ). Among persons aged ≥65 years, the primary disparity was in unmet health care need because of cost; adults reporting self-care disability had nearly twice the prevalence of cost-related unmet health care need than did those reporting hearing disability.…”

What are the association patterns between handgrip strength and adverse health conditions? A topical review

“…58 IADLs require higher neuropsychological functioning and are considered necessary for independent living; 59 whereas, BADLs are more physically driven and are considered necessary for basic self-care. 60 Many working-age and older adults are living with a functional disability, 61,62 and the presence of a functional disability increases risk for further disabilities, 63 morbidities, 64 and premature mortality. 65 Given that IADLs are more neural driven and BADLs are more physically driven, it is possible that HGS is associated with functional disability.…”

The social construction of disability and the capabilities approach: Implications for nursing

“…Education is another important determinant of health; adults without a high school diploma or general educational development (GED) are three times as likely as those with at least some college education to die before age 65, and inequities in life expectancy between higher and lower educated groups have been growing since at least the 1990s . Notably, PWD are significantly more likely to live in poverty, to have less than a high school education, and to be unemployed than are people without disabilities . Thus, it seems evident that for PWD, opportunities to achieve optimal health and well‐being continue to be restricted.…”

“…36 Notably, PWD are significantly more likely to live in poverty, to have less than a high school education, and to be unemployed than are people without disabilities. 37 Thus, it seems evident that for PWD, opportunities to achieve optimal health and well-being continue to be restricted. Indeed, exclusion from important social roles continues to serve as a formidable barrier for PWD despite nearly three decades of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).…”