 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
LaVerne Hawkins Jones, MPH, Gebreyesus Kidane, PhD, and Kimberley A. Turner, MEd. Bureau of Epidemiology & Health Risk Assessment, Division of Disability Surveillance and Intervention, District of Columbia Department of Health, 825 North Capitol St, NE; Third Floor, Washington, DC 20002, 202-442-9146, laverne.jones@dc.gov
Persons with disabilities (pwd) are more likely to be overweight or obese (body mass index,bmi >= 25.0)according to data from the 2001 District of Columbia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Disability refers to various physical, mental, sensory, intellectual or neurological health impairments or conditions that limit performance of activities of daily living including eating, bathing, etc. Over 13% of respondents, report having a disability that limits activities of daily living. The most frequently reported “major impairments” were Arthritis/Rheumatism (18.6%), Back or Neck Problems (10.8%), Fractures/Joint Injury (10.4%) and Walking Problems (7.4%). Obesity/overweight are among the ten leading indicators for the Healthy People 2010 objectives due to its role as a major risk factor for chronic diseases including arthritis, heart disease, hypertension, some cancers, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Findings from the 2001 DC BRFSS indicate that 37.9% of pwd are obese, compared to 17.3% of non-disabled persons. Demographic factors, behavioral factors and social factors are analyzed to assess their role in impacting bmi among pwd. Women with disabilities have the highest rate of obesity (40.6%) when compared to women without disabilities (20.8%), men with disabilities (34.5%), and men without disabilities (13.5%). African-Americans with disabilities rate of obesity is four times that of Hispanics and more than twice the rate of Whites. Approximately 65% of pwd who do not participate in physical activities are at risk for being overweight/obese. Targeted public health policies and programs are needed to reduce the incidence of obesity among pwd.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Obesity, Disability
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.