Abstract
People with disabilities display less use of preventive health services, such as health examinations, flu vaccinations, Pap smears and breast screening, but evidence has shown that preventive health services can detect or even prevent serious diseases and medical problems. Therefore, identifying the factors associated with the use of preventive health services is important for people with disabilities. This study examined the use of preventive health services by people with disabilities and identified other associated factors for people with disabilities. The research used social demographics and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) 12 items to measure activity and participation (AP) and other factors; there were 742 people with disabilities recruited with stratified proportional sampling. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The findings revealed that the common types of preventive services accessed by people with disabilities were health examinations and flu vaccinations; most of them had only used one preventive health service in the past year. The factors of having caregivers of spouses (OR = 1.74), perceived good health (OR = 1.26), and less limitation of AP (OR = 0.99) were significantly associated with the use of preventive services (p < 0.01). The study found a significant association between having children as caregivers and the non-use of Pap smears and breast screening services among women, providing valuable evidence for the distribution of the use of preventive health services for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the study highlighted the present status of disparities in the use of preventive services for people with disabilities and should encourage a boost in the adjustment of the medical environment and service resource allocation by the Taiwanese government for people with disabilities.
Highlights
Published: 9 February 2021The population of people with disabilities is increasing all over the world
The WorldHealth Organization (WHO) stated that functional ability and environmental factors are key to achieving good health [3]
To the best of our knowledge, the study is the first to examine the disparity in the use of preventive health services, such as health examinations, flu vaccinations, cancer screening, Pap smears, and breast screening, by focusing on associated factors for people with disabilities
Summary
The population of people with disabilities is increasing all over the world. To maintain a good quality of life as one ages, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and World. Health Organization (WHO) Global Disability Action Plan suggest ways to pursue a healthy life and well-being, including strategies for reducing inequalities within countries and improving access to health services and programs for people with disabilities [1,2]. Many indicators can be used to evaluate people’s health functioning problems and limitations. The concept of AP was proposed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), which provides a standard language and multidimensional perspective for evaluating health as Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
