Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
08:47
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
13.8K
Social Risks Among Adults With Communication Disabilities: Findings From the National Health Interview Survey
Jennifer Y Oshita1, Megan A Morris1, Benjamin Littenberg2
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|March 12, 2026
Summary
Adults with communication disabilities (CDs) face higher rates of social risks like food insecurity and transportation issues. These findings highlight the need for integrated social risk assessments in healthcare for equitable outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- Health-related social risks significantly impact health outcomes.
- Communication disabilities (CDs) affect a substantial portion of the adult population.
- Understanding the intersection of CDs and social risks is crucial for health equity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the prevalence of health-related social risks among US adults with and without communication disabilities.
- To identify specific social risks disproportionately affecting individuals with hearing, speaking, or understanding difficulties.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing pooled data from the 2020-2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
- Analysis of a nationally representative sample of 118,158 community-dwelling US adults.
- Multivariate logistic regressions adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors to assess social risks (food insecurity, housing instability, transportation, medical cost barriers).
Main Results:
- 18.1% of adults reported having a communication disability (CD).
- Adults with CDs experienced social risks at higher rates (33.2%) compared to those without CDs (24.3%).
- Adjusted analyses revealed significantly higher rates of all examined social risks for adults with any CDs.
Conclusions:
- One in three adults with CDs encounter social risks, including food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers, and financial difficulties accessing care.
- Structural barriers associated with CDs may exacerbate social vulnerability.
- Rehabilitation providers should integrate social risk assessments into treatment planning to promote equitable health outcomes for individuals with CDs.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Survey Safety
447
Surveying near highways, rough terrain, or power lines involves significant risks. Working along highways is particularly dangerous and requires the use of warning signs and flagmen. It is safest to avoid working directly on roads and use offsets whenever possible. When highway work is unavoidable, it must follow all safety guidelines. Surveyors should wear bright clothing, such as orange reflective vests, to ensure visibility to motorists, coworkers, and hunters. In construction zones, wearing...
447
02:16Surveys
17.2K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
17.2K
02:20Longitudinal Research
13.6K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
13.6K
01:21Impact of Social Context on Individuals
413
Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...
413
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
5.3K
The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
5.3K
01:08Prevalence and Incidence
2.2K
In statistical epidemiology and health sciences, two essential metrics—prevalence and incidence—are fundamental for understanding disease dynamics within a population. These measures enable public health officials, epidemiologists, and researchers to assess the burden of diseases, allocate resources effectively, and design impactful public health policies and interventions.
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
2.2K