Spatial Distribution And Clustering Of The Proportion Of Disabled Individuals By Districts In Punjab

Disabilities are globally endemic and will increase with population ageing and ubiquitous prevalence of non- communicable diseases. The Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement survey conducted in 2019-20 is the only district-level representative survey that provides proportion of disabled individuals. The survey used a standardized and validated six-questions from the 'Washington Group Questions' that identify functional disabilities pertaining to difficulty in the domains of sight, hearing, walking/climbing steps, remembering/ concentrating, self-care (washing/dressing), and communicating/being understood. Disabilities were more common in men in both urban and rural areas of districts. Clustering of highest percentage of disabled persons were found in the north-western districts, while lower percentages were seen on the north-eastern districts. Test for the spatial autocorrelation of cumulative disability in the entire study area of Punjab province was found to be statistically significant. Findings underscore the need for better targetted health and social services for the disabled individuals in the Punjab province.