The study -- which used data collected from seven states and one territory as part of the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey -- examined disability prevalence and differences in intimate partner violence among women with and without a disability.

The study found that 37.3 percent of women with a disability experienced some form of intimate partner violence compared to 20.6 percent of women without a disability.

Twenty-eight percent of women with a disability were more likely to report ever being threatened with violence, compared to 15.4 percent of women without a disability, while 30.6 percent of women with a disability reported being hit, slapped, pushed, kicked or physically hurt compared to 15.7 percent of women without a disability.

Almost 20 percent of women with a disability reported ever experiencing unwanted sex by an intimate partner, compared to 8.2 percent of women without a disability.

The study was presented at the American Public Health Association's 136th annual meeting & exposition in San Diego.