Disability and its prevalence and cause in northwestern Ethiopia: evidence from Dabat district of Amhara National Regional State: A community based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Disability is not just a factor of an individual’s physical condition; it develops through human interactions and reflects the social fabric of communities. Despite the fact that it directly affects 15% of Ethiopians, understanding and policy-relevant studies on disability and the conditions of persons with disabilities are lacking. The Dabat Demographic and Health Surveillance System part of the response to fill this gap. With significant drawbacks in the Surveillance System, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence, types and major causes of disability in Dabat district.Method A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed and covered 17,000 households residing in 13 Kebeles of Dabat district. The district is where DHSS collects health data semi-annually; but this study was designed and executed separately in 2018 utilizing robust tools (World Health Organization’s Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) used to collect comprehensive data on disability in the district. The data was organized and presented using frequencies and percentages in table and figures. Relevant variables were used to construct a logit model that predicts the likelihood of disability whereby P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results This study found that the overall prevalence of disability in Dabat district was 2.14% [95% CI: 2.03, 2.24]. About 8.3% of households reported at least one member with disability. Visual impairment was the most commonly reported impairment d51%) while 8.19% had multiple impairments. Eighty-three percent of immediate the causes of disability were modifiable – specifically, illness (36.93%), injury (17.81%), and congenital (10.86%). The aged [AOR=1.0; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.04], those unable to read or write illiterate [AOR=1.57; 1.15,2.14], the unmarried/single [AOR=1.39; 95% CI: 185,2.47] and the separated [AOR=2.78; 95% CI: 4.14,6.19] were more likely to risk disability in the population.Conclusion This study reported an increased likelihood of impairment among those with advanced ages. The proportion of households with PwDs was also high. While most disabilities were visual, there were significant numbers with mobility impairments and hard of hearing. Most school-age PwDs did not complete secondary education, while employment was significantly limited. The findings indicated that most causes of disability were reversible.

Lived experiences of disabled individuals living in Bahir Dar City, North West Ethiopia, a phenomenological study

“…Disability is a condition of the body or mind or impairment that makes it more difficult for the person to do certain activities or activity limitation and interferes with participation restrictions [1,2]. Disability is part of a human condition that can be experienced at some point in life either temporarily or permanently [3]. Currently, the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning (WHO ICF) definition of disability is widely used, stating that a person has a disability if and when his or her activity performances in his or her usual environment are limited in nature, function, or quality of performance.…”

“…It will happen due to an accident, war, or different diseases like cancer, heart attack stroke, or diabetes mellitus. Poverty is also one of the biggest causes of disabilities because people are forced to live and work in unsafe environments with poor needs access [3].…”

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB), approximately 80% of the world's 1 billion people with disabilities (PwDs) live in developing countries where rehabilitation services are inadequate or non-existent. Population growth, man-made and natural disasters, war, accidents, and aging all contribute to an increase in these numbers, both globally and in developing countries [3,8]. In Ethiopia, the prevalence rate is about 15% of the total population [3].…”

“…Population growth, man-made and natural disasters, war, accidents, and aging all contribute to an increase in these numbers, both globally and in developing countries [3,8]. In Ethiopia, the prevalence rate is about 15% of the total population [3].…”