Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Disease Outcomes among Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are aging with chronic health issues. However, little is known about the racial disparities in chronic health conditions among adults with IDD. Do racial and ethnic minority adults with IDD experience elevated risk of chronic health conditions like in the general population? How do factors such as health risk behavior, health status, and residential status impact their risk of chronic health conditions? To answer these questions, the current study examines the racial differences in the prevalence of three chronic conditions: diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, using baseline data from the Longitudinal Health and Intellectual Disability Study. Our sample includes 2,173 adults with IDD. We conducted a multivariable logistic regression to examine racial disparity in prevalence controlling for factors such as demographics, IDD diagnosis, health status, and health risk behaviors. Consistent with established evidence of racial disparities in the general population, being Black was significantly associated with an elevated risk of all three chronic conditions than Whites, even after controlling for a host of demographic, health risk and environmental factors that typically influence health. Our findings contribute to the sparse literature on the intersection of race, ethnicity and disability among racial and ethnic minority adults with IDD and how it relates to health. It also provides important policy and practice implications regarding the urgency of developing culturally appropriate health promotion interventions for racial minority adults with IDD.