Disability status in the 2011 CDC health disparities and inequalities report

The CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report—United States, 2011 (CHDIR) is the first major CDC publication in which there was a systematic attempt to report key health indicators by disability status. Inclusion of disability status in the CDHIR is a major step forward in recognizing disparities experienced by people with disabilities and highlights the need for this segment of the population to be better understood by the U. S. public health system. We reviewed descriptive demographic presentations in the 33 tables or figures in the 22 component chapters in the CHDIR and identified 17 health outcomes for which data were stratified by disability status. Data sources for the CHDIR included surveys, administrative data, National Vital Statistics Systems, and Census data. The only data sources that resulted in stratification by disability status were surveys. Not all surveys used in the CHDIR gathered disability for the years used for the report. Several did include disability but it was not reported. No health outcomes based on administrative data or vital statistics were stratified by disability; functional disability status is not included in those systems. The inclusion of disability as a stratification variable in health surveillance reports will raise its visibility as a factor to be considered in assessing health outcomes. Standardization of disability status will improve policy makers' ability to identify and track health disparities between populations with and without disabilities across a variety of health domains, including social determinants, environmental exposures, health care access and preventive services, morbidity, and behavioral risks.