| Summary: | Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/Open Objective: To determine the size and main medical and social characteristics of the group of individuals receiving disability benefits in Iceland in December 2002 and compare the results with figures from 1996. Material and methods: The study includes all those receiving disability benefits on December 1st 2002 and December 1st 1996 as ascertained by the disability register at the State Social Security Institute of Iceland. Information on age and gender distribution of the Icelandic population was obtained. Age-standardized risk ratio between the years 1996 and 2002 was calculated for both pension levels combined and for full disability pension alone. Results: On December 1st 2002 there were 11,791 individuals receiving disability benefits, 7044 women (59.7%) and 4747 men (40.3%). Of these there were 10,960 individuals receiving full disability pension, 6500 women (59.3%) and 4460 men (40.7%). The prevalence of all disability pension was 6.2%; full disability pension 5.8% and partial disability pension 0.4%. The prevalence of disability was lower in the capital region compared with other regions of Iceland among women, but among men there was no significant difference in the prevalence of disability according to residence. The prevalence of disability increased with age. On the whole disability was more common among women than men, but in the age group 16-19 years it was more common among men than women. Mental and behavioural disorders and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue were the most prevalent causes of disability. The standardized risk ratio showed a significantly increased risk for both pension levels combined and for full disability pension alone both for men and women in the year 2002 as compared with the year 1996. Conclusion: The increase in the prevalence of disability in Iceland between the years 1996 and 2002 is probably mainly due to the introduction of a new method of ...
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