CDC-NCHS-NHIS Voice, Swallowing, Speech, and Language Components

National Institute On Deafness And Other Communication Disorders

Investigators

Abstract

This interagency collaborative project will provide support to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC for implementation of nationally representative epidemiological health interview survey questions inquiring about communication disorders of voice, swallowing, speech, and language in both childhood and adults. This survey obtains information about communication disabilities, including voice, swallowing, speech, and language disabilities, and asks about the impact on a person’s life and health, ability to work or go to school, interact socially and engage during health care encounters. Adults with communication disabilities are at risk for decreased quality of life, health status, and health care services received. Targeted interventions delivered in a community or medical setting, including speech-language pathology services and occupational support, can potentially mitigate these risks. Few current epidemiological studies have explored the prevalence of communication disorders and associated factors in the United States. While voice, swallowing, speech, and language disorders are distinct disabilities with different biological mechanisms, they can all cause a person to have difficulty communicating and thus are collectively referred to as communication disorders. Multiple national epidemiological surveys, including the American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population Survey – Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC), and the Decennial Census of Population and Housing, collect information on the prevalence of disability in the United States, but these surveys do not specifically identify or distinguish between voice, swallowing, speech, and language disorders.