CDC's Disability and Health Data System – Identifying disability health disparities online

Background:

Sixty-one million adults in the United States have a disability—cutting across age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Similar to the general population, people with disabilities need public health programs to be healthy, active, and part of the community. However, adults with disabilities are more likely to be obese, smoke, have high blood pressure and be physically inactive. These are all preventable factors that can increase the risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers, which are also more common among adults with disabilities.

Improving the health of people with disabilities depends on the availability of quality health data to identify health disparities and provide public health professionals and policy makers with valuable insights into the needs of this population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosts the Disability and Health Data System (DHDS), an online interactive data tool that provides accessible and up-to-date health data on adults with disabilities.

Program background:

CDC created DHDS to provide the vital information needed to better understand the health needs of adults with disabilities at the state, regional and national levels. Equipped with these data, state epidemiologists, researchers, policy makers, public health professionals and others interested in the health of adults with disabilities can plan for inclusive communities that offer the programs and services needed to improve the health of this population.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

DHDS provides state-level health estimates from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Users can access information on six select functional disability types: cognitive, vision, hearing, mobility, self-care, and independent living, and view data for ‘Any Disability,’ ‘No Disability,’ and the disparity between the two. Data are available on over 30 demographic characteristics and health topics. Disability data in DHDS can be viewed through interactive maps, data tables, state profiles, and dual-area profiles.

Conclusions:

Through visual representation of data, DHDS users are able to view data from different perspectives and quickly assess the health needs of adults with disabilities in their state. Users can customize data maps, charts, and tables, making it easy to see information about their state or region. They can identify health differences between adults with and without disabilities overall, and by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Attendees of this interactive session will see a demonstration showing how to view data on various health indicators in various formats. They will also discuss how the data can be packaged and used to inform health program and policy development to address the health issues that affect adults with disabilities in their state or region.

Data can be used in presentations, reports, grant applications, or to inform decision-makers.