IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i19p11886-d920071.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Addressing Disability Inequities: Let’s Stop Admiring the Problem and Do Something about It

Author

Listed:
  • James H. Rimmer

    (School of Health Professions, Lakeshore Foundation Research Collaborative, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35206, USA)

Abstract

The healthcare system and public health community are often underprepared to support the needs of people with disabilities and to include them equitably in wellness programs (e.g., exercise, leisure, nutrition, stress management) offered to the general community. Consequently, the vast majority of people with disabilities are unable to make the transition from “patient” to “participant,” which contributes to many of the health disparities reported in this population. People with disabilities have a disproportionately higher rate of acquiring secondary conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular comorbidity, pain, fatigue, depression, deconditioning, and type 2 diabetes, often resulting from poor access to home and community-based health promotion/wellness programs that include physical activity, nutrition, stress reduction, and sleep hygiene, among others. Achieving health equity in people with disabilities requires a multi-stage approach that includes person-centered referral to wellness programs, empowering people with disabilities to become self-managers of their own health and ensuring that community-based programs and services are inclusive. A three-stage model for addressing health and wellness needs across the home and community settings is described, which is currently being used in a large federally funded center in the US with potential generalizability across the world.

Suggested Citation

  • James H. Rimmer, 2022. "Addressing Disability Inequities: Let’s Stop Admiring the Problem and Do Something about It," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-8, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:11886-:d:920071
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/11886/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/11886/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krahn, G.L. & Walker, D.K. & Correa-De-Araujo, R., 2015. "Persons with disabilities as an unrecognized health disparity population," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105, pages 198-206.
    2. Kinne, S. & Patrick, D.L. & Doyle, D.L., 2004. "Prevalence of Secondary Conditions among People with Disabilities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(3), pages 443-445.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pearse McCusker & Lauren Gillespie & Gavin Davidson & Sarah Vicary & Kevin Stone, 2023. "The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Social Work: Evidence for Impact?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(20), pages 1-18, October.
    2. Marja Eliisa Holm & Päivi Sainio & Jaana Suvisaari & Katri Sääksjärvi & Tuija Jääskeläinen & Suvi Parikka & Seppo Koskinen, 2022. "Differences in Unfavorable Lifestyle Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic between People with and without Disabilities in Finland: Psychological Distress as a Mediator," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Michael Jones & John Morris & Frank Deruyter, 2018. "Mobile Healthcare and People with Disabilities: Current State and Future Needs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Rosemary B. Hughes & Susan Robinson-Whelen & Carly Knudson, 2022. "Cancer Disparities Experienced by People with Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-9, July.
    5. Amilon, Anna & Hansen, Kasper M. & Kjær, Agnete Aslaug & Steffensen, Tinne, 2021. "Estimating disability prevalence and disability-related inequalities: Does the choice of measure matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    6. Robin G. Lanzi & Riddhi A. Modi & James Rimmer, 2023. "A Disability-Inclusive Healthcare-to-Well-Being Translational Science Framework," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Dixon-Ibarra, Alicia & Nery-Hurwit, Mara & Driver, Simon & MacDonald, Megan, 2017. "Using health promotion guidelines for persons with disabilities to develop and evaluate a physical activity program for individuals with multiple sclerosis: A feasibility study," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 150-159.
    8. Mike Jones & Frank DeRuyter & John Morris, 2020. "The Digital Health Revolution and People with Disabilities: Perspective from the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-10, January.
    9. Naomi Hlongwane & Lieketseng Ned & Emma McKinney & Vic McKinney & Leslie Swartz, 2022. "Experiences of Organisations of (or That Serve) Persons with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic and National Lockdown Period in South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-16, October.
    10. Abigail Mulcahy & Carl G. Streed & Anna Marie Wallisch & Katie Batza & Noelle Kurth & Jean P. Hall & Darcy Jones McMaughan, 2022. "Gender Identity, Disability, and Unmet Healthcare Needs among Disabled People Living in the Community in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-19, February.
    11. Ann I. Alriksson-Schmidt & Gunnar Hägglund, 2021. "Public Health and Disability: A Real-Life Example of the Importance of Keeping Up the Good Work," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-10, July.
    12. Adyya Gupta & Anne Kavanagh & George Disney, 2021. "The Impact of and Government Planning and Responses to Pandemics for People with Disability: A Rapid Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-9, June.
    13. Raeda K. Anderson & Daniel S. Pasciuti & Chloe M. Sellers, 2024. "Livability vs. Affordability; Disability and Housing in the United States," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-12, May.
    14. Susan Magasi & Hilary K. Marshall & Cassandra Winters & David Victorson, 2022. "Cancer Survivors’ Disability Experiences and Identities: A Qualitative Exploration to Advance Cancer Equity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-17, March.
    15. Kerri A. Vanderbom & Yochai Eisenberg & Allison H. Tubbs & Teneasha Washington & Alex X. Martínez & Amy Rauworth, 2018. "Changing the Paradigm in Public Health and Disability through a Knowledge Translation Center," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-10, February.
    16. Jayajit Chakraborty, 2021. "Vulnerability to the COVID-19 Pandemic for People with Disabilities in the U.S," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-8, September.
    17. Helene Nikolajsen & Louise Fleng Sandal & Carsten Bogh Juhl & Jens Troelsen & Birgit Juul-Kristensen, 2021. "Barriers to, and Facilitators of, Exercising in Fitness Centres among Adults with and without Physical Disabilities: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-32, July.
    18. Twardzik, Erica & Colabianchi, Natalie & Duncan, Lilia & Lisabeth, Lynda D. & Brown, Susan H. & Clarke, Philippa J., 2022. "“Well in in this neighborhood I have walked, not at all”: Stroke survivors lived experience in the outdoor environment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    19. Monika Novak-Pavlic & Peter Rosenbaum & Briano Di Rezze, 2023. "Changing Directions and Expanding Horizons: Moving towards More Inclusive Healthcare for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(21), pages 1-11, October.
    20. Jong Eun Park & So Young Kim & Se Hee Kim & Eun Ju Jeoung & Jong Hyock Park, 2020. "Household Food Insecurity: Comparison between Families with and without Members with Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-16, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:11886-:d:920071. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.