How do persons with intellectual disability manage in the open labour markets? A follow-up of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.
BACKGROUND
The aim was to study how many of the individuals with intellectual disability (ID; IQ < or = 70) in an age cohort were not receiving a disability pension by the age of 34 years and what their life situation was like in terms of employment, education and morbidity. In 2000, the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (n=12,058 live-born) included 129 individuals with ID.


METHODS
The outcome data on employment, education, pensions and morbidity were obtained from national registers.


RESULTS
A total of 85.3% (n=110) of all the individuals with ID were on pension, and 66 of them had severe ID (IQ <50) and 44 had mild ID (IQ 50-70). Altogether 99 were drawing a pension because of ID, and 11 had a main diagnosis other than ID in the register of Social Insurance Institution. Nineteen individuals with mild ID were not on disability pension. The educational level of those without pension was low, and all whose occupation was known worked in low-level manual trades in the open labour market. During the past 8 years (1993-2000), their employment rate had been lower and unemployment rate correspondingly higher and unemployment periods longer than those of the reference group (IQ >85 or not measured). As to the morbidity, they had been hospitalized twice more often than those in the reference group and the mean of their hospitalization days was over fourfold.


CONCLUSIONS
More attention should be paid to the vocational education and supported employment services of individuals with ID to help them to manage as independently as possible.
Taanila
A
A
Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu, Finland. anja.taanila@olu.fi
Rantakallio
P
P
Koiranen
M
M
von Wendt
L
L
Järvelin
M-R
MR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires