Poverty and disability in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

Author(s)

  • Lena Morgon Banks
  • Hannah Kuper
  • Sarah Polack

Reference

Banks LM, Kuper H, Polack S (2017) Poverty and disability in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. PLoS ONE 12(12)

Applied research areas

Thematic issues

Impairment

Geographical areas

Author's summary

This article is a meta-analysis of 150 articles from around the world focused on poverty and disability. The authors searched 10 databases and included only quantitative studies. Authors found clear evidence to support the link between economic poverty and disability, with 122 out of 150 studies finding a significant link between these variables. When data was disaggregated by type of disability, the association was present in every type of disability. Moreover, the strength of the relationship increased as level of poverty and/or severity of disability increased. The direction of this association was not established.

Resource Center comment

This study was significant in that it had clear, though limited definitions of economic poverty and included studies that focused on broad range of disabilities. It is also directly relevant to Article 5 of the CRPD (Equality and non-discrimination). It is important to note that half of the articles included were focused on mental health conditions (e.g. depression), although the relationship held when considering physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities as well. The authors noted that one limitation was that the definition of economic poverty was economic data and did not focus on multidimensional indicators of poverty (e.g., access to education; access to health care; food security). Additionally nearly half of the studies were conducted in either Brazil, China or India, where the conditions may be different than in other low and middle-income countries. It also did not account for some of the additional costs associated with disability (e.g. costs of medical expenses, assistive devices, etc.).

Although the article was a meta-analysis and authors did not have specific connections to the field, it does have practical implications. Specifically, the authors argue for additional research focused on a variety of other variables including inadequate living standards, access to education and health services which could lead to more nuanced approaches to policy and service provision. They also suggest the importance of understanding intra-family dimensions (e.g. relative access to resources within a family). Importantly, the authors also suggest more research into the underlying drivers of this association, such as the political, social and economic conditions that could lead professionals and policy makers to design interventions that address this association.

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