For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a report of state-level data on the number of people with disabilities and the wide range of health differences that exist between people with disabilities and those without. Disability prevalence ranges substantially among the states--from a low of 11.4% (Hawaii) to a high of 25.8% (West Virginia). People with disabilities make up about 20% of the U.S. adult, noninstitutionalized population.
More than a third--37.3%--of people with disabilities reported fair or poor health compared with 8.2% of people without disabilities. Also, people with disabilities are more likely to smoke, to be obese, and to not be physically active, which are health conditions and behaviors that can be improved, according to the report. People with disabilities report the highest prevalence of smoking in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana, and the highest prevalence of obesity among the disabled is reported in Mississippi, Indiana, and North Carolina. Having state-level data on the disabled is an important first step in finding opportunities to implement health promotion activities, says the CDC. Read the press release.
