Demographic and environmental factors associated with disability in India, Laos, and Tajikistan: a population-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The number of people experiencing functional limitations due to health conditions (capacity) is expected to increase in low and middle-income countries as populations age and rates of non-communicable disease rise. This trend could raise the prevalence and levels of disability worldwide. Understanding the demographic and environmental factors associated with disability can inform the design of policy interventions to make societies more accessible and inclusive for all. Methods Approximately 2,500–3,000 participants in each of India, Laos, and Tajikistan responded to the Gallup World Poll and the World Health Organization’s Brief Model Disability Survey through face-to-face interviews. For each country, random forest regression was performed to explore the associations of demographic and environmental factors with disability while controlling for capacity. Using the variable importance measures generated by the random forest models, linear regression models were built in a stepwise manner for each country to predict disability level based on these contextual factors. Results Capacity was strongly associated with disability in all three countries. Most of the variance in disability was explained by minimally adjusted linear models that included only capacity, sex, and age. Inclusion of additional demographic factors and environmental factors explained slightly more of the variance in disability score. Across all three countries, the level of basic infrastructure, public services, and financial stability were moderately associated with disability. Age, sex, employment status, the use of assistive technologies, and other factors had associations with disability that were highly variable across countries. Conclusion While capacity was the main determinant of disability, individual demographic and environmental factors were associated with disability in a country-specific manner while controlling for the effects of capacity.

‘Indriya’ – Participatory Design of a Multi-Sensory Learning Aid for Children With Communication Disorder

“…Designing customisable assistive devices requires consideration of the context of the patient and the clinical experts or the rehabilitation professionals, who are involved in the rehabilitation and therapy of the individual play a prominent role, as they provide the intimate information of the patients (McDonald et al, 2016). Literature reports that in the regions where there is a shortage of professionals, the lack of adoption and usage of these devices is very significant (Karki et al, 2022;Chen et al, 2022). In contrast, the professionals, as well as the beneficiaries, look for alternative solutions or seek modifications in the existing assistive devices (Aflatoony et al, 2020) so that they may respond to their particular needs, indicating a need for customisation (Magnier et al, 2010).…”

The interface of dementia and physical disability; causative factors and associations in the elderly population from Pakistan: evidence from the nationally representative cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS, 2017-18) of Pakistan

“…3,4 The preclinical management of these conditions requires lifestyle modification and timely identification of socioeconomic and demographic factors dictating the cognitive and physical disability. 5,6 Several causative factors have been identified 7 ; however, most of the data is from high-income countries and may not be relevant for low-income countries such as Pakistan.…”