The complexity of relationships among disability severity,
health conditions and personal and environmental factors has been
highlighted by a new report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Disability and its Relationship to Health Conditions and
Other Factors allows the reader to assess the impact of these
various health conditions in terms of their contribution to
disability.
As AIHW report co-author Dr Xingyan Wen says, ranking health
conditions in terms of their prevalence revealed very different
patterns from ranking them in terms of the likelihood of their
being associated with severe disability.
'Conditions such as asthma, hypertension, arthritis and hearing
are all relatively prevalent but are relatively unlikely (less than
25% of people with the condition) to be associated with severe
disability.
'In contrast, conditions associated with intellectual, learning,
psychiatric and neurological disorders were less prevalent but very
likely to be associated with severe disability. For instance over
90% of people reporting autism, dementia or Down syndrome had
severe disability.'
The analyses that were conducted, says Dr Wen, showed that it
was not possible to predict precisely the severity of disability
even when a wide range of health conditions, personal and
environmental factors were taken into account. Moreover, the
relationships between all these factors are very complex.
'It is hoped however, that this new way of looking at these
complex interrelationships will aid our understanding of the
measurement of disability and functioning.'
Other findings include:
- About 95% of people with autism, 84% of people with dementia,
83% of people with Down syndrome, and 78% of people with cerebral
palsy needed help with at least two basic daily activities, such as
mobility, self-care or communication.
- In contrast, between 85% and 95% of people with back problems,
asthma, hypertension, and arthritis either required no assistance
or needed help with only one basic daily activity.
- People with dementia were most likely to have multiple
disabilities, and people with autism, Down syndrome and cerebral
palsy were also highly likely to have multiple disabilities.
10 December 2004
Further information: Xingyan Wen, AIHW tel. 02
6244 1177, mobile 0407 915 851, or Ros Madden, AIHW tel. 02 6244
1189.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Disability and its
Relationship to Health Conditions and Other Factors, December
2004.