Source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services and Disability Inclusion – ScienceDirect
Why is this important?
- One in five adults in the United States have some type of disability (CDC, 2017).
- Adults with disabilities are more likely to be obese, smoke, have high blood pressure, and be physically inactive than adults without disabilities(CDC, 2017).
- Increased risk for medical conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers are also more common among adults with disabilities (CDC, 2017).
Introduction
Approximately 40 million people in the U.S. identify as having a serious disability, and people with disabilities experience many health disparitiescompared with the general population. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) identifies evidence-based programs and policies recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) to promote health and prevent disease. The Community Guide was assessed to answer the questions: are Community Guide public health intervention recommendations applicable to people with disabilities, and are adaptations required?
Methods
An assessment of 91 recommendations from The Community Guide was conducted for 15 health topics by qualitative analysis involving three data approaches: an integrative literature review (years 1980–2011), key informant interviews, and focus group discussion during 2011.
Results
Twenty-six recommended interventions would not need any adaptation to be of benefit to people with disabilities. Forty-one recommended interventions could benefit from adaptations in communication and technology; 33 could benefit from training adaptations; 31 from physical accessibility adaptations; and 16 could benefit from other adaptations, such as written policy changes and creation of peer support networks. Thirty-eight recommended interventions could benefit from one or more adaptations to enhance disability inclusion.
Conclusions
As public health and healthcare systems implement Task Force recommendations, identifying and addressing barriers to full participation for people with disabilities is important so that interventions reach the entire population. With appropriate adaptations, implementation of recommendations from The Community Guide could be successfully expanded to address the needs of people with disabilities.