Health status and lifestyle of the mentally and physically disabled

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the article is to identify differences and similarities in the lifestyles of people with physical and mental disabilities and to determine the degree and direction of interdependence between lifestyle and self-assessed health status of people with disabilities. Design/Methodology/Approach: We obtained data using the F2F questionnaire technique, using the own survey. We used statistical methods based on analysis of the differentiation and similarity of structures and tests likelihood ratio, chi-square and asymmetric lambda coefficients to study interdependencies between variables. After identifying the variables that influence the likelihood of a positive self-assessment of health, we use logistic regression. Findings: The results obtained indicate the information about how disabled people spend their free time, whether they play a sport, and their views on the opportunity to get a job at high position helps predict the health status of a disabled person. Practical implications: The health condition of disabled people doesn’t depend on the type of disability. Factors that determine their health condition concern sports, work, and the form of spending free time. That the type of disability has a statistically significant impact on factors related to education, work, and cultural and social activity. It is easier to predict the state of health of a disabled person based on these factors than the reverse. Originality/Value: Lifestyle is important for self-assessment of health. The general lifestyle questionnaire proposed by Lopez-Fontana et al. (2020) should be complemented with attitude toward work, way of spending leisure time, interpersonal relationship.