Community Engagement Over the Lifespan: Examining Differences by Disability Status

• In Event: Disability in Society Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3. Social Participation and Connections

Abstract

Adults who are engaged in their local communities are, on average, healthier and happier. Community engagement may be particularly important at older ages by providing valuable social connections that contribute to overall health and wellbeing. Yet, some adults may find it more challenging than others to get involved in their community, particularly as they age. Past research finds that individuals with disabilities, for example, face barriers to community engagement, while also being one of the groups most likely to benefit from this type of activity. Unaddressed by the prior literature is whether trends in community engagement over the lifespan look different for the population with disabilities. We use 2023-2024 National Health Interview Survey data to examine age trends in community engagement by disability status, first overall and then for three types of engagement: volunteering, voting in local elections, and attending public meetings. We find that the association between age and community engagement is either attenuated or reversed for the population with disabilities, relative to the population without disabilities. While younger adults with disabilities are no less likely than their counterparts without disabilities to vote in local elections or attend public meetings and are more likely to volunteer, at older ages adults with disabilities are significantly less likely than their peers to participate in these forms of community engagement. Overall, the emergence of a gap at older ages in community participation between adults with disabilities and adults without disabilities may have implications for the health and wellbeing of older adults with disabilities.

Authors

• Natalie Alice Eckhardt Young, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS/CDC)

• Laryssa Mykyta, NCHS

• Julie Weeks, National Center for Health Statistics