. "3 A Model for Disability and Disability Prevention." Disability in America: Toward a National Agenda for Prevention. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1991.
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Disability in America: Toward a National Agenda for Prevention
TABLE 3-1 Major Causes of Death and Associated Risk Factors, United States, 1977
Cause
Percentage of All Deaths
Risk Factors
Heart disease
37.8
Smoking, hypertension, elevated serum cholesterol, diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, stress, family history
Alcohol, drug abuse, smoking (fires), product design, handgun availability
Influenza and pneumonia
2.7
Smoking, vaccination status
Motor vehicle crashes
2.6
Alcohol, no seat belts, speed, roadway design, vehicle engineering
Diabetes
1.7
Obesity
Cirrhosis of the liver
1.6
Alcohol abuse
Arteriosclerosis
1.5
Elevated serum cholesterol
Suicide
1.5
Stress, alcohol and drug abuse, gun availability
SOURCE: Matarazzo, 1984. Reprinted with permission.
The Need for Surveillance
The changing demographic profile of the U.S. population and the associated patterns of disability risk demonstrate the necessity of continued surveillance of the incidence and prevalence of chronic physical and mental health conditions, injury, and disability. Some research indicates that the risk of disability has been increasing for all population age cohorts, although there is considerable debate about the reasons for this trend. There has also been a noticeable increase in work disability rates (Chirikos, 1989). In addition, the aging of the population may bring increased risks of disability.
Existing national data sets that track the prevalence of chronic conditions over time are useful for disability surveillance. The lack of data on incidence rates, however, is a serious void in disability surveillance and an impediment to fundamental understanding of the disabling process. Incidence data provide a measure of the rate at which a population develops a chronic
