CDC Report: 22% of USA Population is Disabled Save

CDC has released the findings of its 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), with 5 questions addressing different forms of disability - vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, and independent living. Overall, 22.2% of U.S. adults (53,316,677 persons) reported any disability.

Disabilities in mobility and cognition were the most prevalent. State-level prevalence of mobility disability type ranged from 8.5% to 20.7%. Mobility disability was highest among adults living in Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia (and other Southeastern states), women, those with low incomes and the least levels of education.

This information can help public health programs identify the prevalence of and demographic characteristics associated with different disability types among U.S. adults and better target appropriate interventions to reduce health disparities.