Disability and U.S. Families: NHIS 1999-2008

Most previous disability research has focused on individual-level rather than family-level data. Our paper builds on two government reports about disability within U.S. families. A 1996 report based on the 1990 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which was based on the civilian noninstitutionalized population, found that 20.3 million U.S. families (29% of all families) had at least one member with a disability (i.e., an activity limitation). A 2005 report based on data from the 2000 U.S. Census on family households found that 20.9 million U.S. families (28.9%) had at least one disabled member.

While the two reports yield comparable counts and percentages, they define “family” differently. The 1996 report used a broader definition of family that included persons living alone. The 2005 report used a definition of family that excluded persons living alone or with unrelated persons (e.g., a housemate or unmarried partner).

We use the 1999-2008 NHIS to build on previous findings and examine the numbers and percentages of U.S. families containing one or more noninstitutionalized disabled persons. The NHIS definition of family allows for individuals living alone or with unrelated persons. Using a complex activity-based measure of disability, we focus on family structure, living arrangements, living quarters and other family characteristics to determine family situations of disabled people of all ages. Using 10 years of data, we also examine whether percentages of families with disabled persons increased over time. Preliminary analysis reveals an average of 24.7% of families had at least one disabled member between 1999 and 2008.