Abstract
Chronic Health Disparities of Blind and Deaf Adults in California
Nasya S Tan, MPH1 and James Russell Pike, eMBA2
(1)Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, (2)Claremont Graduate University
APHA's 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo (Nov. 10 - Nov. 14)
Little research exists on the health disparities experienced by blind and deaf adults. The current study investigated the health status of blind and/or deaf adults in California. Secondary analyses were performed on data from the 2016 California Health Interview Survey. The health status of respondents who identified as blind and/or deaf or had severe vision or hearing problems were compared to respondents who reported no vision or hearing problems. Results showed significant differences between groups for several chronic health conditions. Blind/deaf respondents reported significantly higher rates of asthma (19.2% vs. 13.9%, p = .028), type II diabetes (19.5% vs. 7.0%, p < .001), high blood pressure (52.4% vs. 26.4%, p < .001), heart disease (17.5% vs. 5.3%, p < .001), and heart failure or congestive heart failure (6.2% vs. 1.5%, p < .001). Over twice as many blind/deaf respondents (44.7%) reported being in fair to poor health compared to 19.2% of non-blind/deaf respondents (p < .001). These findings reveal important health disparities that may be overlooked in epidemiological studies that fail to assess individuals with physical disabilities. Future research should closely monitor this vulnerable population and utilize measures that permit subgroup analyses that may reveal health disparities that affect blind and/or deaf communities.
Public health or related research