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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1538519
This article is part of the Research Topic The Intersection of Psychology, Healthy Behaviors, and its Outcomes View all 64 articles

Health Inequities among Persons with Disabilities: A Global Scoping Review

Provisionally accepted
Emre Umucu Emre Umucu 1*Andrew A Vernon Andrew A Vernon 1Deyu Pan Deyu Pan 2Sang Qin Sang Qin 3Guillermina Solis Guillermina Solis 1Rebecca Campa Rebecca Campa 1Beatrice Lee Beatrice Lee 1
  • 1 The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
  • 2 Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Lehman, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 3 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background and Objective: Approximately 16% of the global population, or 1.3 billion individuals, live with disabilities, facing increased health risks and reduced access to healthcare compared to the general population. Despite international and national policies affirming the rights of persons with disabilities, healthcare disparities persist, with studies revealing higher rates of unmet medical needs, avoidable deaths, and dissatisfaction with healthcare services among this population. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of health inequities experienced by individuals with disabilities globally.: A scoping review methodology was employed to systematically search and analyze quantitative evidence on health inequities. Electronic searches were conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases, supplemented by manual searches of reference lists. The selection criteria for articles in this study were as follows: (a) publication between 2011 and 2022, (b) written in English, (c) published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and (d) a quantitative comparison of health inequities between persons with and without disabilities. Results: A total of 363 scholarly works were initially identified, with 51 meeting the inclusion criteria after rigorous screening. In the course of our review, our team identified three overarching themes of health inequity, encompassing (a) access to healthcare and resources, (b) morbidity, mortality, & risk factors, and (c) social determinants of health. These studies collectively reveal disparities in healthcare access, utilization, and outcomes among persons with disabilities, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to address systemic barriers and promote equitable healthcare provision. Conclusion: This scoping review underscores the persistent challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in accessing quality healthcare and the imperative for concerted efforts to advance health equity.

    Keywords: Health inequities, Disability, Health Disparities, rehabilitation disparities, Health Dispari.es

    Received: 03 Dec 2024; Accepted: 28 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Umucu, Vernon, Pan, Qin, Solis, Campa and Lee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Emre Umucu, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.