Disability

Study of Blindness and Visual Impairment Among Hispanics

Research suggests that visual impairment may be an important public health problem among Hispanics because those populations tend to underutilize preventive health services, including eye examinations. Westat staff interviewed approximately 5,600 Hispanic adults over 40 and recruited about 4,350 to undergo a physical examination at the University of Arizona. Our research aims in the Study of Blindness and Visual Impairment Among Hispanics included the following: determine the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment; characterize the importance of different causes of vision loss; determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the diabetic population of Mexican Americans; and determine whether these conditions are associated with failure to use eye care services, low socioeconomic status, undiagnosed diabetes, ancestry, or a combination of factors.

National Study of Health and Activity

For a pilot study of the National Study of Health and Activity for the Social Security Administration, Westat screened approximately 7,000 persons to determine eligibility and selected a sample of 4,000 persons for in-depth interviews about disability status and related factors. We conducted approximately 400 medical examinations on a sample of participants. Study results were used to determine prevalence of severely disabled persons in the United States, factors that enable disabled persons to stay in the workforce, and a set of self-reported items that predict work disability.

Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Accessibility

Westat completed a Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Accessibility project that studied the difficulties of people with physical disabilities participating in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Westat staff employed literature reviews, case studies, telephone interviews, and data analyses in this project.