One in 4 Americans lives with a disability, ranging from difficulty walking or climbing stairs, to trouble concentrating and making decisions, to visual and hearing problems, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released this month.

The percentage of adults with disabilities is on the rise as poverty grows, according to the CDC.

Mobility problems are the most common disability, affecting 1 in 7 Americans. Cognition issues affect 1 in 10 Americans, followed by problems running errands, hearing, vision and difficulty dressing or bathing.

“At some point in their lives, most people will either have a disability or know someone who has a one,” Coleen Boyle, director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement. “Learning more about people with disabilities in the United States can help us better understand and meet their health needs.”

The survey marks the first time the agency reported the percentage of adults across six disability types: mobility, cognition, hearing, vision, independent living and self-care.

Women, American Indians, lower-income people and those living in the South have higher rates of disability, according to the data.

Difficulty with mobility is five times more common for adults ages 45 to 64 living under the poverty level than those with incomes at twice the poverty level.

© 2018 The Morning Call
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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