Contribution of XXXX to the disability burden in a population 15  years and older, Belgium, 1997-2008.

@entity1 @entity64 @entity308 @entity66 @entity625 @entity5 @entity16 @entity102 @entity1576 @entity158 @entity299 @entity85
BACKGROUND: Age-associated disability reduces quality of life in older populations and leads to wide-range implications for social and health policy. The identification of diseases that contribute to the disability burden is crucial to the development of prevention and intervention strategies to reduce disability. In this study, we assessed the contribution of @entity102 to the prevalence of disability in Belgium. METHODS: Data from 35,837 individuals aged 15  years or older who participated in the 1997, 2001, 2004, or 2008 Belgian Health Interview Surveys were used. Disability was defined as difficulties in doing at least one of six activities of daily living (transfer in and out of bed, transfer in and out of chair, dressing, washing hands and face, feeding, and going to the toilet) and/or mobility limitations (ability to walk without stopping less than 200  m). Multiple additive regression models were fitted separately for @entity1 and @entity1 to estimate the age-specific background disability rate (experienced by everyone, independent of the presence of specific diseases) and disease-specific disability rates (disability rate in subjects who reported selected @entity102 ). RESULTS: Musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and @entity1576 were the main contributors to the disability burden in Belgium. @entity85 were the most @entity66 in @entity1 and @entity1 in all age groups. @entity16 and @entity64 were the most disabling diseases, i.e. caused the highest level of disability among the diseased individuals, in all age groups for @entity1 and @entity1 , respectively. Back @entity158 was the main cause of disability in @entity1 aged 15 to 64  years, while @entity299 was the major contributor to the disability prevalence in @entity1 aged 65 or older. Likewise, @entity625 was the main cause of disability among @entity1 across all age groups. @entity308 was also an important contributor in young subjects (15-54 years). @entity5 was not an important contributor to the disability prevalence in Belgium. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the burden of disability in Belgium, interventions should target musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and @entity1576 especially among elderly. Furthermore, attention should also be given to @entity308 in young individuals.
