Presentations on Leading Health Indicators for People with Disabilities

The Disability and Health Team examined data for the leading health indicators in the 1998 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.  The following abstracts reflect the staff's work presented at the March 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 18th annual Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Poster presentation

Title:  An analysis of the BRFSS and available data on the Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators for people with and without disabilities

Topic:  Program Planning and Health Promotion – Use of the BRFSS in developing health promotion programs and policies

Author(s):
Sinclair, Lisa B., M.P.H., CDC, Disability and Health 
Campbell, Vincent A., Ph.D., CDC, Disability and Health

Abstract:
The CDC, Disability and Health Branch undertook an analysis of the 1999 BRFSS core and optional module questions to determine if data are available to evaluate disparities between people with and without disability with regard to ten Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs), physical activity, overweight, tobacco use, substance use, sexual behavior, mental health, injury, environmental quality, immunization, and health care Access.  The sample size was noted for people with disabilities in preparation for the statistical analysis.   Results:  The BRFSS lacks any items related to Environmental Quality and few related to Injury and Violence.  Thirty-seven BRFSS items adequately or partially addressing nine of the 10 LHIs were identified in the core and optional modules.  People with disabilities were captured in nine states (AL, AR, DC, IA, KS, NY, NC, RI, SC) that administered optional modules.  Given these limitations, state-level BRFSS data were not available for all LHIs or for people with disabilities in all 50 states for the 37 LHI-related items.  Conclusion:  Despite these limitations, these results constitute a small data set useful for evaluating the health behaviors of people with disabilities.  In 2001, two items that will largely identify people with disabilities are included as emerging core questions.  The retention of these questions in the core is imperative to facilitate data collection for people with disabilities in all states and territories that use the BRFSS.

Oral presentation

Title: Behavioral risk factors among people with and without disabilities related to the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) Leading Health Indicators (LHIs).

Topic: Program Planning and Health Promotion – Use of the BRFSS in developing health promotion programs and policies

Author(s):
Campbell, Vincent A., Ph.D., CDC, NCEH, Disability and Health 
Sinclair, Lisa B., M.P.H., CDC, NCEH, Disability and Health 

Abstract:
A comparative analysis was conducted for behavioral risk factors among people with and without disabilities related to the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) Leading Health Indicators (LHIs).  Methods:  The 1999 BRFSS core does not identify people with disabilities.  However, data were available from optional modules conducted in nine states (AL, AR, DC, IA, KS, NY, NC, RI, SC).  Because the optional modules provided less than adequate sample sizes for people with disabilities, analyses were possible for only 21 of the 37 BRFSS LHI-related items. Environmental Quality LHI was not addressed in the 1999 BRFSS.  Results: Within these limitations, the results suggest that people with disabilities are more likely to be obese and engage in exercise less frequently than people without disabilities but were more likely to have had immunizations (influenza and pneumococcus).  No significant patterns of disparity were noted in responsible sexual behavior or use of alcohol and tobacco.  However, people with disabilities were more likely to drink and drive.  People with disabilities were more likely to have health coverage but also to have put off medical care because of cost; and have more poor mental health days.  Conclusion:  The inability to identify people with disabilities in the core precludes data analyses for all thirty-seven BRFSS LHI-related items in all 50 states for this population.  The retention of two items in the 2001 BRFSS core that identify people with disabilities is imperative to facilitate data collection for people with disabilities in all states and territories that use the BRFSS.

For more information, contact Lisa Sinclair, MPH at 770/488-7667.

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