Our Vision – Healthier Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.

The Health of People with Disabilities in Kansas Dan Dao, MPH Program Epidemiologist Disability and Health Program Bureau of Health Promotion KDHE Our Vision – Healthier Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.

Outline Introduction to the disability program The disparities that persons with disability face Why do these disparities exist? Next Steps Conclusion

The Disability Program The mission of the Disability and Health Program is to increase the quality of life for Kansans with disabilities through promoting health and reducing secondary conditions.

Kansans with a disability According to the 2009 BRFSS, 21% of all Kansans 18 years and older have a disability. This means 433,328 adult Kansans ages 18 years and older live with disabilities.

The Disparities All these data refer to Kansans 18 years and older in the year Data were obtained from the Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Kansas BRFSS is a population based telephone survey system that provides scientific information assessing and monitoring health related issues in Kansas.

Diabetes 18.3% of Kansas adults living with disabilities have been diagnosed with diabetes in This is 3X higher than those living without disabilities (6.1%).

Heart Attack 10.3% of Kansas adults living with disabilities have had a heart attack in This is 5X higher than those living without disabilities (2.1%).

High Cholesterol 50.8% of Kansas adults living with disabilities who were tested for blood cholesterol have been diagnosed with high cholesterol in In contrast only 35.1% of Kansas adults living without disabilities who were tested for blood cholesterol have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, in This is a difference of 15.7 %.

Hypertension 48% of Kansas adults living with disabilities have been diagnosed with hypertension in This is 2X higher than those living without disabilities (23.8%).

Physical Activity 65.6% of Kansas adults living with disabilities do not participate in recommended amount of physical activity in In contrast only 47.9% of Kansas adults living without do not participate in recommended amount of physical activity in This is a difference of 17.7 %.

Smoking 22.9% of Kansas adults living with disabilities currently smoke in In contrast only 16.5% of Kansas adults living without disabilities currently smoke in This is a difference of 13.8 %.

Obesity Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m % of Kansas adults living with disabilities are obese in In contrast 26% of Kansas adults living without disabilities are obese in This is a difference of 14.2%.

Cancer 19% of Kansas adults living with disabilities have been diagnosed with cancer in This is 2.5X higher than those living without disabilities (7.6%).

Why the Difference? We wanted to determine what were the barriers people living with disabilities faced when they went to seek care. In 2009 we asked people living with disabilities what barriers they faced when seeking care.

Results 1 out of every 10 individuals living with a disability was restricted in a way from receiving health care 14% of those with restriction said that this restriction was due to physical access 6% of those with restriction said it was due to a lack of communication 10% of those with restriction said it was due to a another person 27% of those with restriction said they had been treated unfairly due to their disability 18% of those living with disabilities said they had not seen a doctor in the past year due to cost. Almost twice as high as compared to those living without disabilities.

Conclusion The long-term goals of our program are the same as the other chronic disease long-term goals. The way we make a difference on these long-term goals for Kansans with disabilities is through increasing access to healthcare and physical activity for Kansans living with disabilities. We can do this by working toward removal of common barriers to these fundamental preventive health behaviors.

Contact Dan Dao Program Epidemiologist Disability and Health Program Bureau of Health and Environment Kansas Department of Public Health 1000 Southwest Jackson STE 230 Topeka, KS (785)