Research PaperHealth disparities among adults with physical disabilities or cognitive limitations compared to individuals with no disabilities in the United States
Section snippets
Methods and materials
We conducted a retrospective analysis comparing the health of adults (18 and over) with physical disabilities or cognitive limitations to individuals with no disability. The data presented in this paper were taken from the MEPS 2006 full year consolidated data file.
Characteristics of the sample
The distribution of sex was nearly even for those with cognitive limitations and physical disabilities (40.8 % male and 39.2% male, respectively) (Table 1). However, in the no disabilities group, there was a greater proportion of men (49.6% male) than the cognitive limitations and physical disabilities groups. Average age varied widely between the groups. While the group with no disabilities averaged 41.7 years, the cognitive limitations group averaged 59.0 years and the physical disabilities
Discussion
The purpose of this research was to identify whether disability was associated with higher prevalence rates for common diseases, lower use of preventive care and higher health care expenditures. Using a national sample, the research built upon the limited foundation of knowledge from nationally representative data for this population.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Martha Hodgesmith for her influence and contributions to this manuscript through regular consultation and discussion and to Val Renault for her thoughtful editing. This research was developed under a grant from the Department of Education, NIDRR grant number H133B060018. However, this research does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and endorsement by the Federal Government should not be assumed.
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Financial disclosure: The authors have no financial disclosures to report.