Public Health Dimensions of Disability

Disability traditionally has been a marginalized concern of public health and has largely been viewed as a failure of primary prevention. However, disparities in health behaviors, healthcare access, and health status between people with a without disabilities suggest that opportunities exist for public health to engage people with disabilities to improve their overall health. In this article we address case definition of disability, conceptual dimensions of disability that have led to modeling of the experience of disability, as well as US and international estimates of the population of people with disabilities. We also discuss discrete age groups - children, adults, and older adults - and evidence of health disparities between people with and without disabilities. Finally, we discuss health promotion directions to improve the health of this population.