Prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life in India: A systematic review

Disability is complex, dynamic in nature, multidimensional, and most contested. Quality of life is an abstract concept that is related to the level of disability in the population. Approaches to measuring disability vary across different regions, and purpose and application of the findings. We systematically reviewed the studies that have been undertaken to study the prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life among the general population in India, between January 2000 and June 2018. The prevalence of impairment ranged from 1.6% to 43.3%. In major surveys, males had higher impairment than females. Studies that used the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health concept for measuring disability reported prevalence ranging from 70.0% to 93.2%. Most studies used semi-structured questionnaires for measurement of disability. Some studies have used Barthel Index for Activity of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Schedule, Rapid Assessment of Disability scale, and Standard Health Assessment Questionnaire. The quality of life was low among females. This review brings out the heterogeneity in the concepts for measuring disability and quality of life. Lack of standardization in the measurement of disability restrains any comparison between these studies.