| HEALTH STATUS |
28 |
Women have a higher rate of disability than men and report a higher number of conditions that limit their activity. In 1997, 20.7 percent of women had a disability as compared to 18.6 percent of men. The types of disabling conditions experienced by women and men also differ. While back disorders were the most prevalent disability reported among both genders in 1992, twice as many women than men were disabled by arthritis, making it the second leading cause of disability among women.
Women's higher rates of disability as compared to men are observed across racial and ethnic groups. Among women in 1997, White non-Hispanic and Black women had the highest rates of disability; with more than one-fifth of each group experiencing a disability. Fifteen percent of Hispanic women were disabled, while Asian/Pacific Islander females had the lowest disability rate at 13.9 percent.
The prevalence of disability in the U.S. and around the world has stimulated efforts to develop more uniform definitions of disability. In 2001, the World Health Organization approved the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a unifying framework for classifying the consequences of disease, an approach first created in 1980.(1) These efforts emphasize the importance of functional status as a critical component of overall health.
1 - Classification of Diseases and Functioning and Disability. National Center for Health Statistics. www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/icd9/icfhome.htm
