Gender difference in socioeconomic and health status among Japanese deaf adults: Results from the national level survey in Japan

Background: Gender-based inequalities in socioeconomic and health status have been documented among people with disabilities. However, reported quantitative study examining gender differences in the associations between Japanese deaf adults and social and health conditions in Japan is scarce.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a national level sampling recruits about 500 individuals aged 20 years and older. Data were collected through nationwide deaf community, Japan, in 2014. Individual interviews collected information on demographic characteristics (age, gender), socioeconomic status (family structure, employment status, education, etc.), communication (sign language, assistive technology, etc.), health status (self-rated health, psychological distress, etc.), health-related behavior (smoking habit, alcohol consumption), use of health and welfare services, and social support. Multivariate logistic regression analyses will reveal significant gender difference in several social and health measures.

Results: Main themes will be identified during the analysis of this cross sectional studies are: socioeconomic status, communication, health status, health-related behavior, use of services, and social support.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the value of models which include a wide range of socioeconomic and health variables, and affirm the importance of looking more closely at gender difference in socioeconomic and health among deaf people in Japan.