Regional pattern of disabilities and socioeconomic disadvantage among youth in India: a geospatial analysis

Youth with disabilities face dual disadvantages as they are more likely to live in poverty. Children with disabilities have a lower probability of entering and advancing in school. The present article examines the prevalence of disability among Indian youth and its association with being socioeconomically disadvantaged. A secondary analysis was performed on the data obtained from the 76th round of NSS. This study considered disability among youth aged between 15 and 24 years. Descriptive statistics, bivariate estimates, geospatial methods like Moran's I, univariate LISA, bivariate LISA, and ordinary least square, spatial error model, and spatial lag model were used. Among the surveyed 103,801 youth, 12,951 (12.48%) had reported having a disability in any form. Locomotor disability is the most prevalent type of disability (45.9%) among all disabled youth. Near about 32% of the youth with disabilities were illiterate. Age, gender, education, wealth quintile, and place of residence were significantly associated with disabilities in India. A significant spatial dependence was observed. Regions with the highest disability requiring attention were from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Policymakers must work on developing customized interventions involving the modifiable factors in the locations requiring attention. Long term effects of the developed intervention should be ensured.