Dear AJPM Reader,

Although it has been estimated that 61 million U.S. adults live with a disability, the intersection of disability and preventive medicine is too often overlooked. People with disabilities are more likely to live with chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and according to the CDC many lack easy access to healthcare – making them an important group to address in preventive medicine research.

Over the past year, AJPM has published several articles on this key population. The September issue includes a pair of articles on partner and nonpartner violence against people with disabilities. In the July issue, a paper examined the timecourse of morbidity onset among adults living with cerebral palsy. And, in January, we published a study on the low rates of preventive health service utilization among adolescents and adults with Down Syndrome.

In the coming months, we anticipate featuring more studies on this topic, including an article slated for our October issue, in press now, which examines marijuana use among women of reproductive age with disabilities. Other forthcoming articles look at the relationship between disability and suicide-related outcomes, links between disability and maternal morbidity/mortality, and prenatal care among women with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities are a particularly vulnerable population, and long COVID may substantially increase the numbers of those with disabilities, underscoring the importance of research in this domain. AJPM continues to strongly encourage future submissions on the intersection between disability and preventive medicine.

We hope you find these articles, as well as our September 2021 issue, to be timely, topical and informative.

Yours in prevention and health,