Getting to the bottom of disability disparities in New York City

People with disabilities consistently report worse health status than those without disabilities be­cause of inadequacies in the health care system and societal discrimina­tion. Inaccessibility in the built environment, discrimination and stigma from health care and service providers, as well as other socioeconomic and structural barriers have been identified as possible sources of these disability disparities.

To determine the burden of dis­ability among adult residents of New York City, CUNY SPH Distinguished Professor Luisa N. Borrell, alum John Wetmore, and colleagues from the NYC Department of Health used data from the 2013-2014 NYC Health and Nutrition Examina­tion Survey. The findings were published in the journal Ethnicity & Disease.

The researchers found that disability is more preva­lent among those with unmet health care needs, low self-rated general health status, arthritis and hyperten­sion, and common mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

“Overall, we found that one in eight New York City adults reported having a disability,” says Dr. Borrell. “This prevalence is higher than the ones observed in New York State and the United States studies. This finding is worrisome given the age of our study population, 20 to 64 years old.”

Greater emphasis on health educa­tion, physical and mental disease management, and promoting per­spectives and practices surrounding healthy aging in NYC could help prevent the development of dis­abilities from chronic physical and mental health conditions, the researchers say.