Disability prevalence: comparing four types of disability measures in the community

Abstract

BackgroundThere is no general consensus on how to measure disability and disability prevalence rates. The results of previous estimates could not be compared due to the varied nature of the methodologies used and the lack of standardization in the measurement of disability. The primary objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of disability using a population-based disability survey and questions selected by the National Center for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). The secondary objective is to determine whether there was any relationship between the severity of disability and essential sociodemographic factors.The survey was carried out in the Indian state of Gujarat’s Piplag village. Eight final-year physiotherapy students gathered sociodemographic data and answers to the four disability-related questions—disability question asked in India census 2011, Washington Group (WG)-suggested question, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)-based question, and National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)-based question.ResultsA greater percentage of the population was classified as having a functional limitation in the questions based on the UNCRPD (28.29%) (95% CI 25.1–31.3%) and the WG (29.69%) (95% CI 26.0–34.4%). Our findings demonstrated that there were significant relationships between the questions in different questionnaires (p < 0.01). Female gender strongly influences how people self-identify as having a disability (by 5.7 to 12.07 times), and the predictor variables based on the Indian census 2011 questions explained 61.7% of the variation in prevalence of disability.ConclusionsThe prevalence statistics may vary based on the questions used to gather information about disabilities. As gender and socioeconomic status can impact the prevalence of disabilities, it is important to focus on ways to improve economic growth, especially for women.