Comparing distributions of the general US population with paralysis and disability populations: A GIS analysis of the reeve paralysis survey and the American community survey

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Survey (Reeve Paralysis Survey) is a national random-digit-dial telephone survey designed to determine the prevalence of paralysis in the U.S. and the characteristics of that population. The first wave of the survey initially determines if the respondent has difficulty moving their arms or legs due to a paralyzing condition and follows with questions on the severity of their condition, utilization of health care and secondary conditions. A follow-up survey includes questions about preventive care, co-morbidity, and financial aspects of health care. The American Community Survey defines disability as having difficulty with one of 6 functions or activities: 1) hearing, 2) vision, 3) cognitive, 4) ambulatory, 5) self-care, or 6) independent living. The Reeve Survey uses the last four questions to measure the severity of the paralyzing condition. Using data from both surveys, we will compare three populations: (i) the general population; (ii) the population with a disability from the 2011 ACS; and (iii) the population with paralysis from the 2012 Reeve Survey. We will look at the socio-economic and demographic characteristics as well as health insurance coverage for the three populations. We will map the results using ArcMap's GIS software.