Epidemiology of Disability among 15 Years and Older People in Nilufer District, Bursa, Turkey

Disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. In developing countries, one in every ten people lives with one or more disability.

This study was done to determine the prevalence, type and causes of disability among 15 years and older people and socio-demographic characteristics of disabled persons in Nilufer District, Bursa, Turkey.

The mean age of randomly selected study population was 37,84 ± 0,51. There were 478 women (50,5 %) and 468 men (49,5 %). The prevalence of disability in whole population, in women and in men were 10,8 %, 10,3 % and 11,3 %, respectively. The prevalence of disability was higher in older group. Disabled people had significantly lower education and higher unemployed levels. Their families had also significantly lower income. The movement disability was higher among the disabled and the disability of seeing and hearing were in the second and third order, respectively. The causes of disabilities were chronic diseases and old age (52,3 %), accidents (19,5 %), infectious diseases (16,4 %) and congenital abnormalities (11,2 %).

Disability is a social condition resulting from education problems of population, negative environmental conditions, insufficient health services and infrastructure. Thus, primary prevention principles should have the priority in order to prevent the disability. At some conditions that may not be preventable, early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation should be performed.