Objective:

Characterize demographic, social and prevalence aspects of Disability of Road Origin in four territories of Colombia.

Method:

Longitudinal and descriptive study of the registry of location and characterization of people with disabilities in the municipalities of Medellín, Cali and Manizales, and the department of Antioquia, intentionally selected. The distribution of variables in which it was possible to retrieve information was studied.

Results:

257.966 records of people with disabilities due to all causes in the territories addressed were identified; in about 50% there was no record of cause. Of the total, 10.288 had a Road Disability, 3.178 in Medellín, 959 in Cali, 222 in Manizales and 5.929 in Antioquia. The mean age in this group was 50 years. 71.5% of cases were men, whose ratio doubled or tripled that of women depending on the territory. Most had low schooling, with 41% up to primary school and 37% high school. 75% were poor people, almost 60% without income. Nearly half are not in rehab and 60% require help from another person to perform daily activities. On average, 4% of records were of road origin; the prevalence per 100.000 inhabitants had variations between and within the territory due to oscillations in the registry.

Conclusion:

In the studied territories there are structural conditions, such as the lack of surveillance systems, which determine the underreporting of people with disabilities and prevent the real estimate of the magnitude of the problem with its associated factors.

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