Health Disparities among People with Disabilities: A Snapshot

Roughly 25.1% of adults in Michigan report being disabled.1 People with disabilities in Michigan report higher rates of many chronic conditions and poorer health status, compared to people without disabilities. Following is a brief snapshot of these disparities, taken from the 2015 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey.

General health and health risk behaviors

  • 46.5% of adults with disabilities report their health as fair or poor, compared to 8.1% of their non-disabled counterparts.
  • 27.4% of adults with disabilities report having poor mental health, compared to 6.9% of their non-disabled counterparts.
  • The rate of obesity among adults with disabilities is 43.4%, compared to 27.0% among people without disabilities.
  • 27.0% of adults with disabilities are current smokers, compared to 18.5% of people without disabilities.
  • 37.5% of people with disabilities reported not getting any leisure time physical activity, compared to 21.4% of people without disabilities (2009).

Chronic conditions

  • 52.0% of adults with disabilities reported having high blood pressure, compared to 27.0% of people without disabilities (2013).
  • 52.0% of adults with disabilities have been told they have high cholesterol, compared to 33.1% of adults without disabilities.
  • 20.3% of adults with disabilities reported having diabetes, compared with 7.5% of people without disabilities.
  • 11.0 % of adults with disabilities reported having cardiovascular disease, compared with 2.4% of people without disabilities.
  • 60.6 % of people with disabilities reported having arthritis, compared with 20.1% of people without disabilities.
  • 23.8% of adults with disabilities reported having had asthma in their life, compared with 13.3% of people without disabilities.
  • 40.9% of people with disabilities reported having depression, compared with 12.8% of people without disabilities.
  • 19.4% of people with disabilities reported having Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), compared to 3.9% of people without disabilities.
  • 20.0% of people with disabilities reported having ever had cancer, compared to 9.2% among people without disabilities.
  • 8.5% of people with disabilities reported having kidney disease, compared to 1.8% of people without disabilities.

1 Disability is defined as "being limited in any activities because of physical, mental, or emotional problems or requiring the use of special equipment, such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone due to a health problem" (p.3).