Disability and Health

Goal

Promote the health and well-being of people with disabilities.


Overview

This section of Healthy People 2020 focuses on promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities. The U.S. Census 2000 counted 49.7 million people with some type of long-lasting condition or disability.1 An individual can get a disabling impairment or chronic condition at any point in life. Disability is part of human life, and an impairment or condition does not define individuals, their health, or their talents and abilities.

People with disabilities play an important and valued role in every community. All people, including people with disabilities, must have the opportunity to take part in important daily activities that add to a person's growth, development, fulfillment, and community contribution. This principle is central to all objectives outlined in this topic.

The Disability and Health objectives highlight areas for improvement and opportunities for people with disabilities to:

  • Be included in public health activities.
  • Receive well-timed interventions and services.
  • Interact with their environment without barriers.
  • Participate in everyday life activities.

Without these opportunities, people with disabilities will continue to experience health disparities, compared to the general population. The 2020 objectives were developed with extensive input from disability communities, and this partnership between the public health and disability communities must continue over the decade in order to meet the Healthy People 2020 objectives.

Why is Disability and Health Important?

The largest set of U.S. health data for people with disabilities, DATA2010, measures health at the population level.2 These data highlight improvements in health over the previous decade and clearly reveal specific health disparities for people with disabilities. Compared with people without disabilities, people with disabilities are more likely to:

  • Experience difficulties or delays in getting the health care they need.
  • Not have had an annual dental visit.
  • Not have had a mammogram in past 2 years.
  • Not have had a Pap test within the past 3 years.
  • Not engage in fitness activities.
  • Use tobacco.
  • Be overweight or obese.
  • Have high blood pressure.
  • Experience symptoms of psychological distress.
  • Receive less social-emotional support.
  • Have lower employment rates.

Additional Resources

HP2020's National Objectives for Disability and Health
HHDW Reports on Disability


References

  1. Waldrop J, Stern SM. Disability status: 2000 [Census 2000 brief]. Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau; 2003 Mar.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics. DATA 2010 [Internet database]. Hyattsville, MD: CDC; 2010 [cited 2010 Sep 30]. Available from:http://wonder.cdc.gov/data2010/focus.htm