Health Disparities Experienced Among Persons Living With Disabilities

Council Date: September 2, 2022

Objective

To support novel and innovative research that applies an intersectional lens to examining and addressing disability health care and outcomes among populations experiencing health disparities (i.e., racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups, people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) or in underserved rural areas). Resulting initiatives will support science that advances our understanding of and efforts to mitigate the underlying causes and pathways adversely impacting the health and well-being of adults and children living with disabilities among populations with health disparities.

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Description of Initiative

The population of persons living with disabilities in the United States is heterogeneous, with diverse backgrounds, life circumstances, and health conditions. There is a higher prevalence of preventable and chronic, complicating comorbidities among persons living with disabilities compared to the overall adult population due to the greater number of barriers to timely and comprehensive health care. Health care challenges include greater likelihood than other groups of not having a usual or primary health care provider; experiencing avoidable hospitalizations; having unmet medical, dental, and behavioral health needs; and lacking resources needed to perform instrumental activities of daily living.

Health disparities are greater among persons living with disabilities and may be further intensified or complicated for individuals belonging to one or more populations that commonly experience health disparities, including racial and ethnic minority groups, people with lower socioeconomic status, underserved rural communities, and sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups.

Existing research largely focuses on a specific disability, age group, or demographic rather than representative samples showing between or within groups group characteristics across the lifespan. This is in part due to limited disability data collected by health care systems and public health entities. This underscores the need for targeted research to better understand the range of intersectional factors and mechanisms influencing unique health disparities, and to develop actionable strategies to mitigate their impact on health outcomes and QoL.

Page updated Jan. 3, 2024