Regional Patterns of Disability and Their Relationship with Socioeconomic Conditions — China, 2006

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC? Understanding the regional distributions of disability is helpful for policymaking in precise disability prevention and control, especially in China. However, only a few studies have focused on the regional distributions of disability and their relationships with socioeconomic conditions, and almost all of them have ignored the variances of disability within provinces in China. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT? This research found that with the increase in the regional income level, the prevalence of disability showed a decreasing trend. The aging process of disability in high-income regions is more serious than that in other income level regions, and with the improvement of income level, the prevalence of disability in males declines rapidly. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE? The study analyzed the county-level distribution patterns of disability and their relationship with socioeconomic factors to provide a basis for implementing regional policies on disability prevention and control.