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November 18, 2021
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Q&A: 67 million US adults report having at least one disability

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In 2019, more than 67 million adults in the U.S. reported having a disability, a 1% increase since the prevalence was last examined in 2016, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.

“To reduce ableism and create more inclusive communities, our country must be equipped with data on the prevalence of disabilities and who is most impacted by them,” Bonnielin Swenor, PhD, MPH, director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, said in a press release.

Graphical depiction of data included in article.
Varadaraj V, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.30358. 

Swenor and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study of 2019 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The data included survey responses from 418,268 adults, 51% of whom were women. Among these individuals, 26.8% (95% CI, 26.5-27) reported having a disability and 11.7% (95% CI, 11.5-11.9) reported having more than one disability. Participants most often reported a disability in mobility (13.3%; 95% CI, 13.1-13.5), cognition or mental state (12.1%; 95% CI, 11.9-12.3), hearing (6.1%; 95% CI, 6-6.3), vision (5.2%; 95% CI, 5-5.3) or self-care (3.9%; 95% CI, 3.8-4.1), according to the researchers.

Swenor and colleagues found that adults reporting a disability were more likely to be older, female, Hispanic, unemployed, bisexual, transgender or gender nonconforming, have less than a high school education and have a lower income.

Bonnielin Swenor

The researchers identified differences in disability prevalence among various sociodemographic groups. For example, although Black women had a higher prevalence of disability, Black adults identifying as gay or bisexual had a lower prevalence of disability compared with these populations of other racial or ethnic groups.

Healio Primary Care spoke with Swenor to learn more about disability prevalence in the U.S.

Healio Primary Care: Why has disability prevalence increased?

Swenor: This study found the prevalence of disability among American adults increased from 26% in 2016 to approximately 27% in 2019 after age standardization. The increase in disability prevalence may be partially due to the aging of the population, as well as increased disclosure of disability status following progress in societal acceptance and legislative protections over time.

It should be noted that this prevalence is likely an underestimate, as the national survey data used to determine these estimates does not include people who are living in settings such as nursing homes.

Healio Primary Care: You found certain characteristics and populations associated with a greater likelihood of being disabled. Can you explain this?

Swenor: We found that the prevalence of disability differed across racial and ethnic groups. We additionally found intersectional differences in the age distribution, differences in proportions of people with disabilities by sexual orientation and gender identity, and gaps in education, income and employment.

Healio Primary Care: Given the increased prevalence, do you think physicians should have disability training?

Swenor: These results indicate that over one in four U.S. adults has a disability and underscores that people with disabilities are part of all our communities. There is a need for physicians, public health professionals and society to better understand and partner with the disability community, especially on efforts to advance diversity and equity.

References:

New analysis: more U.S. adults identify as disabled; ethnic and socioeconomic disparities persist. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/new-analysis-more-us-adults-identify-as-disabled-ethnic-and-socioeconomic-disparities-persist. Published Nov. 1, 2021. Accessed Nov. 8, 2021.

Varadaraj V, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.30358.