Describing Intellectual Disability in Local Public Health Community Health Assessments and Community Health...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Community Health Assessments (CHAs) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) are foundational documents guiding local health department (LHD) initiatives.
• Effective public health planning requires inclusive representation of all community members, including those with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent of intellectual disability inclusion in CHAs and CHIPs among accredited LHDs.
• To identify gaps in language, participation, and goal setting related to intellectual disability in public health planning documents.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of CHAs and CHIPs from Public Health Accreditation Board-accredited LHDs.
• Examination of documents for specific mention of intellectual disability partners, goals, objectives, or activities.
• Content analysis of language used to describe intellectual disability within the assessments and plans.

Main Results:

• Only approximately 5% of CHAs involved an intellectual disability partner in their development.
• Fewer than 2% of CHIPs included goals, objectives, or activities specifically for people with ID.
• Many CHAs framed intellectual disability as a condition to be prevented rather than a population to be included.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant lack of intellectual disability inclusion and representation in CHAs and CHIPs.
• Gaps exist in ID-inclusive language and community-based participation in public health planning.
• Increased inclusion of people with ID in these planning processes and documents is necessary for equitable public health outcomes.