TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of a comprehensive disability measure
T2 - Disability prevalence among US Veterans and non-veterans from the National Health Interview Survey Data from 2015 to 2018
AU - Mulcahy, Abigail C.
AU - Govier, Diana J.
AU - Than, Claire T.
AU - Chawla, Neetu
AU - Danan, Elisheva
AU - Hooker, Elizabeth R.
AU - McCready, Holly
AU - Hoggatt, Katherine J.
AU - Yano, Elizabeth M.
AU - Hynes, Denise M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2024/8
Y1 - 2024/8
N2 - Background: Current measures of condition-specific disabilities or those capturing only severe limitations may underestimate disability prevalence, including among Veterans. Objectives: To develop a comprehensive measure to characterize and compare disabilities among US Veterans and non-Veterans. Methods: Using 2015–2018 pooled cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey data, we compared the frequency and survey-weighted prevalence of non-mutually exclusive sensory, social, and physical disabilities by Veteran status. We developed a measure for and examined the frequency and survey-weighted prevalence of eight mutually exclusive disability categories—sensory only; physical only; social only; sensory and physical; social and sensory; physical and social; and sensory, social, and physical. Results: Among 118,818 NHIS respondents, 11,943 were Veterans. Veterans had a greater prevalence than non-Veterans of non-mutually exclusive physical [52.01% vs. 34.68% (p < 0.001)], sensory [44.47% vs. 21.79% (p < 0.001)], and social [17.20% vs. 11.61% (p < 0.001)] disabilities (after survey-weighting). The most frequently reported mutually exclusive disability categories for both Veterans and non-Veterans were sensory and physical (19.20% and 8.02%, p < 0.001) and physical only (16.24% and 15.69%, p = 0.216) (after survey-weighting). The least frequently reported mutually exclusive disability categories for both Veterans and non-Veterans were social only (0.31% and 0.44%, p = 0.136) and sensory and social (0.32% and 0.20%, respectively, 0.026) (after survey-weighting). Conclusions: Our disability metric demonstrates that Veterans have a higher disability prevalence than non-Veterans, and a higher prevalence than previously reported. Public policy and future research should consider this broader definition of disability to more fully account for the variable needs of people with disabilities.
AB - Background: Current measures of condition-specific disabilities or those capturing only severe limitations may underestimate disability prevalence, including among Veterans. Objectives: To develop a comprehensive measure to characterize and compare disabilities among US Veterans and non-Veterans. Methods: Using 2015–2018 pooled cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey data, we compared the frequency and survey-weighted prevalence of non-mutually exclusive sensory, social, and physical disabilities by Veteran status. We developed a measure for and examined the frequency and survey-weighted prevalence of eight mutually exclusive disability categories—sensory only; physical only; social only; sensory and physical; social and sensory; physical and social; and sensory, social, and physical. Results: Among 118,818 NHIS respondents, 11,943 were Veterans. Veterans had a greater prevalence than non-Veterans of non-mutually exclusive physical [52.01% vs. 34.68% (p < 0.001)], sensory [44.47% vs. 21.79% (p < 0.001)], and social [17.20% vs. 11.61% (p < 0.001)] disabilities (after survey-weighting). The most frequently reported mutually exclusive disability categories for both Veterans and non-Veterans were sensory and physical (19.20% and 8.02%, p < 0.001) and physical only (16.24% and 15.69%, p = 0.216) (after survey-weighting). The least frequently reported mutually exclusive disability categories for both Veterans and non-Veterans were social only (0.31% and 0.44%, p = 0.136) and sensory and social (0.32% and 0.20%, respectively, 0.026) (after survey-weighting). Conclusions: Our disability metric demonstrates that Veterans have a higher disability prevalence than non-Veterans, and a higher prevalence than previously reported. Public policy and future research should consider this broader definition of disability to more fully account for the variable needs of people with disabilities.
KW - Disability
KW - Measurement
KW - Prevalence
KW - US national health interview survey
KW - Veterans
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108051
DO - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108051
M3 - Article
C2 - 38906274
AN - SCOPUS:85196703673
SN - 0091-7435
VL - 185
JO - Preventive medicine
JF - Preventive medicine
M1 - 108051
ER -