BACKGROUND: National survey data indicate the number of individuals reporting a disability is rising. Those with disabilities experience a large number of barriers to health promotion and disease prevention programming. However, only a limited number of studies have used nationally representative data to examine the health status of individuals with disabilities in comparison to those without disabilities. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: We used the @entity910 ( @entity910 ) to examine whether disability is associated with higher prevalence rates for common @entity102 , lower use of preventive care and higher health care expenditures. Our research hypothesis was that nationally, adults with either @entity717 or cognitive limitations experience significant health disparities in comparison to those with no disability. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis comparing the health of adults (18 and over) with physical @entity73 to individuals with no disability using data from the 2006 full year consolidated data file from the @entity910 ( @entity910 ). We used chi-squared tests, t-tests, and logistic regression to evaluate the association. RESULTS: Individuals with physical @entity73 had significantly higher prevalence rates for 7 @entity102 than @entity1 with no disabilities. The disability groups were also significantly less likely than the no disability group to receive 3 types of preventive care. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that adults with disabilities and chronic conditions receive significantly fewer preventive services and have poorer health status than individuals without disabilities who have the same health conditions. This indicates a need for public health interventions that address the unique characteristics of adults with disabilities, many of whom are at risk for high cost, debilitating conditions that may not have as severe an effect on other population segments.

Health disparities among adults with physical XXXX compared to individuals with no disabilities in the United States.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['persons'] @entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['disabilities or cognitive limitations'] @entity910 :: ('MESH:D004409', 'Disease') :: ['MEPS', 'Medical Expenditures Panel Survey'] @entity102 :: ('MESH:D002908', 'Disease') :: ['chronic diseases'] @entity717 :: ('MESH:D009069', 'Disease') :: ['physical disability']
@entity73 :: (MESH:D003072,Disease) :: ['disabilities or cognitive limitations']
