Prevalence of disabilities and associated health conditions--United States, 1991-1992

Abstract

An estimated 35-49 million persons in the United States have a disability; estimated direct and indirect annual costs related to disability (including medical expenses and lost workdays) total $170 billion. Because of definitions of disability used in previous analyses generally contained limited measures of disability, the prevalence of disability in the United States may have been underestimated. The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), a subsample of the 1990 U.S. census, collected comprehensive data about disability using several measures. The U.S. Bureau of the Census and CDC analyzed data from SIPP to provide more precise prevalence estimates of disability and health conditions associated with disability in the United States during 1991-1992. This report summarizes the findings from that analysis.