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KMID : 0498419840990000003
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Tropical Medicine News
1984 Volume.99 No. 0 p.3 ~ p.7
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Survey of Physically Disabled in Korea
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Park, Byeong Mun
Jahng, Jun Seop/Kim, Nam Hyun/Shin, Jung Soon/Lee, Dongwoo
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Abstract
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While it is well known that the number of physically disabled persons are increasing in Korea due to the rapid development of industrialization, rapid growth of urban population
and an increase of car accidents, the plausible level of proportion of the disabled and their biodemographic characteristics are not yet certain. However, surveys estimating the number
on both knowledge of human disabilities and technological changes in finding and identifying disabled personnel in the field by professional or para-medical personnel. As a result, much of the work in the area necessarily consists of fundamental studies in finding the cases in the field and identifying the severity of the various disabilities.
These two studies are relevant to a wide range of health problems associated with the government´s policy formulation, medical institute´s rehabilitation programme and promotion of socio-economic activities for the disabled.
Because physical disabilities are medical, social as well as cultural processes, the task of finding the disabled in the field and identifying the severity by paramedical interview is formidable. This is evident from consideration of the limitation of the current researcher´s requirements imposed on the field surve methodology by the diversity of the human physical disabilities themselves.
This large survey, the first of its kind in Korea, was carried out by a well designed nationwide sample survey with probability sampling of census enumeration districts. It was also aimed primarily at providing accurate and timely statistical information on the physically disabled concerning type, site, severity and possibility of rehabilitation. Constraints such as finance, heavy load of field work and especially negative attitute toward discussing their disabilities expressed by the local society or the household were the disabled were involved forced us to consider the number of physically disabled by type and status as well as by their socio-economic activities. A significant bias in the data derived from definitional difficulties.
However, prevalence in terms of ratio classified by types or other explaining variables, revealed that there had been a consistency in the trend among the ratios in each table as was expected. Therefore, the trend and pattern of
the ratios are considered to be plausible but the level of prevalence may have been underestimated.
Conducting systematic surveys is recommended to determine past and present levels of physically disabled ratios, despite the difficulties associated with the survey on the whole. It would be desirable for medical colleges to participate in studying a problem such as epidemiological survey of disabilities and rehabilitation programme development in Korea.
In the near future, studies on developing cost-efficient rehabilitation programmes are also emphasized. Especially, an out-reach community-based disability programme for prevention, home and ambulatory care is recommended.
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