The prevalence and characteristics of disability in Eastern Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Disability is related to poverty and development. Enough information and documentation is not available for developing countries like Nepal. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the self-reported prevalence of disability in terms of age, sex, types, cause and age of onset. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional house to house census was carried out by means of structured questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 31,160 individuals (4.87%) were found disabled out of a total of 640,259 individuals. The three most common types of disability are physical affecting limbs, hearing and vision. The most common perceived cause of disability is inborn syndrome followed by injury/accidents. DISCUSSION: Various publications for the prevalence of reported disability show a figure between three and ten percent, with physical disability affecting locomotion and manipulation as the leading type of disability. The prevalence rate can vary depending upon the disability indicators, methods and population surveyed and perceptions of the people. CONCLUSION: The self-reported prevalence of disability in Sunsari District is 4.87%, with inborn-syndrome as the leading perceived cause.