The Prevalence Pattern of Locomotor Disability and its Impact on Mobility, Self-Care, and Interpersonal Skills in Rural Areas of Jodhpur District

CONTEXT: Impact of disability is deleterious, affecting an individual's every aspect. Majority of disabled reside in rural areas of developing countries. Moreover, different types of disability add to its wide spectrum. All these make it a major health issue. AIMS: The aim of this study was to note the prevalence rate and pattern of locomotor disability in a rural population of Jodhpur District and to observe its impact on mobility, self-care, and interpersonal skills of disabled. SETTINGS: This study was carried out in rural field practice area of the Community and Family Medicine Department of tertiary care setup. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: House-to-house survey for a sample size of 1656 was conducted by a team of trained doctors, therapists, and anganwadi workers for identification of locomotor disability applying a pretested survey questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS version 22 was used for descriptive analysis of variables (frequency distribution), and the Chi-squared test was used for the association of sociodemographic factors with performance qualifier score. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of 2.08% for locomotor disability (male = 57% and female = 43%) was noted, with 31% from 40 to 60 years, 49% were illiterate, and 60% were from lower class. The main etiologies were cerebrovascular accident (25%) and cerebral palsy (23%). About 80% faced some difficulties in mobility domain, 57% in self-care, and 63% in interpersonal skills. Statistically significant association was seen for self-care domain with education level (P = 0.04) and for interpersonal skill domain with age groups and diagnosis (P = 0.022 and P = 0.035, respectively). CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of locomotor disability in rural Jodhpur was 2.08%, higher for males and higher from 40 to 60 years. Most disabled were illiterate and were from low socioeconomic status. Self-care, mobility, and interpersonal skills were primarily affected and require proper intervention.