Prevalence and factors associated with self-reported disability: a comparison between genders

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Disability affects a significant portion of the adult population.
• Understanding the prevalence and associated factors of disability is crucial for public health interventions.
• Sex-stratified analysis is important due to potential differences in disability experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of disability in adults.
• To examine the association between disability and sociodemographic and health characteristics, stratified by sex.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 4,048 residents aged 18+ in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2008-2009).
• Disability defined by self-reported problems in body functions or structures.
• Multivariate decision tree analysis (Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector) applied to sociodemographic and health variables.

Main Results:

• Overall disability prevalence was 10.4%, higher in females (11.9%) than males (8.7%).
• Key factors for disability: 'age' and 'morbidity' in females; 'low educational level' and 'poor health self-assessment' in males.
• Higher disability reporting in working-age women with lower incomes and men with lower education/income. Three or more diseases and poor health perception increased disability risk for both sexes.

Conclusions:

• Disability prevalence differs by sex, necessitating sex-specific approaches.
• Working-age women and men with lower educational levels are identified as more vulnerable populations for disability.