Health status and life satisfaction among people with disabilities: Evidence from Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Two important dimensions of subjective well-being are self-reported 'health status' and 'life satisfaction', both of which are generally perceived as being lower among people with disabilities. Although the factors associated with health status and life satisfaction have been well documented among the general population, relevant research relating to disabled people remains limited, indeed, almost non-existent in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim in the present study is to explore the levels of, and the factors associated with, self-reported health status and life satisfaction among people with disabilities in Taiwan.

METHODS: The dataset used in this study was drawn from a representative population-based survey carried out in a municipal city in Taiwan involving 983 disabled people aged between 15 and 64. Descriptive statistics were applied to provide both a profile of the respondents and the distribution of the related variables, with ordinal logistic regression models being employed to identify the factors associated with health status and life satisfaction.

RESULTS: As compared to the findings reported on western societies, health status and life satisfaction levels among disabled people in Taiwan were found to be similar. Age, incidences of chronic conditions, and medical barriers encountered were found to have negative associations with health status, whilst better household finances, living environment, and social support were positively associated with life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS: Since both individual and contextual factors may be related to the subjective well-being of disabled people, policy interventions should target specific aspects so as to improve the lives of people with disabilities.