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| Data includes civilian non-institutionalized population. (Map by Katrina Crankshaw, from Census Bureau data; click it to enlarge) |
Crankshaw overlooks another possible reason. Education levels tend to be lower in rural areas, which makes it easier for injured manual laborers without high-school diplomas to win disability benefits.
Crankshaw reports rural residents "were more likely (14.7%) than their urban counterparts (12.6%) to experience disability. . . . The South had the nation's highest rates of disability (13.8%), followed by the Midwest (13.1%), the Northeast (12.3%), and the West (12.1%) . . . according to the American Community Survey 1-year estimates." The ACS is the bureau's ongoing poll of the U.S. population.
Reporting distinctions can help government and community planners learn what services residents need and where especially when it comes to rural medical care or broadband access. "It is important to understand how regional and urban/rural differences in disability contribute to the unique challenge of addressing health disparities in the United States," Crankshaw adds. "Identifying where people with disabilities are concentrated can help inform where there may be shortages of specialized providers or limited transportation options."
Dan Kessler, interim executive director of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, told Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder, that one reason could be health-care accress: "Looking at primary care, where you may see a physician for several issues, for example, your diabetes or some other condition, which, if left untreated, could very well result in someone acquiring a long-term disability." Eaton writes, "Kessler added that the digital divide also impacts access to medical care," making telehealth impossible and online scheduling for appointments or transportation more difficult.
Crankshaw notes, "Many states in the South are part of what is known as the Stroke Belt, defined by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute as a cluster of states (including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) that have a higher incidence of stroke than the rest of the country. . . . . Stroke is one of the nation's primary causes of long-term disability, and half of stroke survivors age 65 years and older experience reduced mobility as a result. The higher stroke incidence is just one factor that may contribute to the southern region's overall higher disability rates."
What constitutes a disability? Crankshaw explains, "ACS considers people to have a disability if they have difficulty with one or more of the following: Seeing, hearing, concentrating or remembering (age 5 and older), walking or climbing stairs (5 and older); dressing or bathing (5 and older); doing errands alone, such as buying groceries or going to the doctor (15 and older).
Reporting distinctions can help government and community planners learn what services residents need and where especially when it comes to rural medical care or broadband access. "It is important to understand how regional and urban/rural differences in disability contribute to the unique challenge of addressing health disparities in the United States," Crankshaw adds. "Identifying where people with disabilities are concentrated can help inform where there may be shortages of specialized providers or limited transportation options."
Dan Kessler, interim executive director of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, told Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder, that one reason could be health-care accress: "Looking at primary care, where you may see a physician for several issues, for example, your diabetes or some other condition, which, if left untreated, could very well result in someone acquiring a long-term disability." Eaton writes, "Kessler added that the digital divide also impacts access to medical care," making telehealth impossible and online scheduling for appointments or transportation more difficult.
Crankshaw notes, "Many states in the South are part of what is known as the Stroke Belt, defined by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute as a cluster of states (including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) that have a higher incidence of stroke than the rest of the country. . . . . Stroke is one of the nation's primary causes of long-term disability, and half of stroke survivors age 65 years and older experience reduced mobility as a result. The higher stroke incidence is just one factor that may contribute to the southern region's overall higher disability rates."
What constitutes a disability? Crankshaw explains, "ACS considers people to have a disability if they have difficulty with one or more of the following: Seeing, hearing, concentrating or remembering (age 5 and older), walking or climbing stairs (5 and older); dressing or bathing (5 and older); doing errands alone, such as buying groceries or going to the doctor (15 and older).
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