Abstract
We explored health care differences across the lifespan comparing people with developmental disabilities to people without developmental disabilities. Health care disparities are inequities occurring during the provision of and in access to health care that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. We discovered significant disparities between persons with and without developmental disabilities in health status, quality, utilization, access, and unmet health care needs. Our results highlight the need to educate health care clinicians on the care of patients with developmental disabilities of all ages.
- disability
- developmental disability
- developmental delay
- intellectual disability
- special needs
- transition
- health care transition
- health care disparities
- disparity
- adult health
- elderly health
- aging adults
- health equity
- public health
- health parity
- minority populations
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: authors report none.
Funding support: J.A.P. was supported by the Ohio State University College of Medicine Roessler Research Scholarship. S.M.H. was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement No. 2U59DD000931-04 and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of Health Resources and Services Administration under award no. T73MC24481-02. E.A.Y. was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement Number 2U59DD000931-04.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Supplementary materials: Available at http://www.AnnFamMed.org/content/15/5/471/suppl/DC1/.
- Received for publication August 3, 2016.
- Revision received March 16, 2017.
- Accepted for publication April 26, 2017.
- © 2017 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
