Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114502

Amy S. Lightstone, MPH¹, Elizabeth A. Bancroft, MD, SM², and Paul A. Simon, MD, MPH¹. (1) Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 313 N Figueroa, Room 127, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-240-7785, alightstone@ladhs.org, (2) Acute Communicable Disease Control, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 313 North Figueroa, Room 212, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Background: Healthy People 2010 goals include increasing the proportion of people with disabilities (PWD) who are able to access health and wellness programs and participate in social activities, while reducing those who lack needed assistive devices and encounter barriers to participating in community activities. Methods: The 2002-03 Los Angeles County Health Survey, a random digit dial telephone survey of 8,167 Los Angeles County (LAC) residents 18+ years old, included questions about disability, health insurance, barriers to healthcare and, among PWD, home modifications, participation in social activities, and information resources. Results: Almost one in five adults (19%) in LAC reported being disabled. Compared to non-disabled respondents, PWD were less likely to be uninsured (17% vs. 24%) but more likely to report transportation barriers to accessing healthcare (17% vs. 5%). Nearly 21% of PWD reported trouble accessing care due to their provider's location, design or layout; 12% reported being unfairly treated by a provider or staff because of their disability. One-third (34%) of PWD reported that they either currently had (12%) or could benefit from (22%) special modifications, adaptive equipment, or other features in their home. Over half (58%) did not know where to obtain information on their disability, and 60% did not participate in as many social activities as they would like because of their disability. Conclusions: PWD in LAC report difficulty accessing healthcare including transportation, facility, and attitudinal barriers. Other unmet needs for PWD include a lack of adaptive equipment in the home, and lack of knowledge of community resources.

Learning Objectives:

• To learn about Healthy People 2010 goals for people with disabilities
• To describe one way of assessing Healthy People 2010 goals for people with disabilities
• To describe barriers to health care for people with disabilities

Keywords: Disability, Healthy People 2000/2010

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.