Citation

Smith EM, Giesbrecht EM, Mortenson WB, Miller WC. Phys. Ther. 2016; 96(8): 1135-1142.

Affiliation

W. C. Miller, PhD, FCAOT, GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Lab, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Occupational Sciences and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, T325-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5; and International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Physical Therapy Association)

DOI

10.2522/ptj.20150574

PMID

26847009

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mobility impairments are the third leading cause of disability for community-dwelling Canadians. Wheelchairs and scooters (WCSs) help compensate for these challenges. There is limited data within the last decade estimating the prevalence of WCS use in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of wheelchair and scooter use in Canada, and explore relevant demographic characteristics of wheelchair and scooter users.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional national survey.

METHODS: The Canadian Survey on Disability (2012) collected data on wheelchair and scooter use from community-dwelling individuals aged 15 and over with a self-identified activity limitation on the National Household Survey. Prevalence estimates were calculated as weighted frequencies, with cross-tabulations to determine the number of WCS users in Canada, by province, and demographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex), and bootstrapping to estimate the variance of all point estimates.

RESULTS: There were approximately 288,800 community-dwelling WCS users aged 15 and over, representing 1.0% of the Canadian population. This included 197,560 manual wheelchair users, 42,360 powered wheelchair users, and 108,550 scooter users. WCS users were predominantly female, with a mean age of 65 years. Approximately 50,620 individuals used a combination of two WCSs. LIMITATIONS: These results are representative of individuals living in the community in Canada, and exclude individuals in residential or group based settings; estimates do not represent the true population prevalence.

CONCLUSION: This analysis is the first in over 10 years to provide a prevalence estimate and description of WCS users in Canada. Since 2004, there has been an increase in the proportion of the population who use WCSs, likely related to an aging Canadian population. These new prevalence data have potential to inform policy, research, and clinical practice.

Language: en