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People with intellectual disability in Ireland are still dying young
Author(s) -
Doyle Anne,
O’Sullivan Michael,
Craig Sarah,
McConkey Roy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12853
Subject(s) - irish , intellectual disability , logistic regression , population , gerontology , demography , medicine , psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , sociology , philosophy , linguistics
Background People with intellectual disability die younger than their non‐disabled peers. In recent years, greater attention has been paid to closing the gap. However, evidence that this is being achieved is limited by the dearth of longitudinal, national data. Method Over 4,000 decedents identified in the Irish National Intellectual Disability Database from 2001 to 2016 were compared to deaths in the general population based on age and gender profiles using death rates and standardised mortality ratios. A binary logistic regression analysis also identified the characteristics of persons who had a higher risk of dying. Results Irish people with intellectual disability die younger and have a higher rate of death than their non‐disabled peers. Nor has the gap between their mortality and that of the general population closed in recent years. Conclusions More concentrated effort is needed in Ireland on promoting equitable access to health services for people with intellectual disability.