Assessing injury-related movement difficulties: A method for analyzing the association between functional limitations and social participation
published online 26 July 2010. Corrected Proof
Abstract
Background
The conceptualization of disability has shifted from a medical to a social model with a consequent focus away from impairments and toward activities and participation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a common point of reference and a common language in a developing disability discourse.
Objectives
We sought to apply a model for the measurement of disability based on the activity and participation constructs of the ICF to persons with movement difficulty as a result of injury-related causes.
Methods
Data from sample adults aged 18 years and over in the 2001–2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used for analysis. Disability among adults with injury-related movement difficulty was assessed through measures of difficulty performing basic actions (movement, sensory, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning); and limitations of complex activities (defined through measures of self-care, social participation, and work participation). SUDAAN 9.0 was used in all analyses to account for the complex sampling design and weighting of the NHIS data.
Results
Approximately 16% of noninstitutionalized adults who reported movement difficulty mentioned injury as a cause. On average, between 2001 and 2006, about 7.6 million adults had injury-related movement difficulty in the United States. Overall, 50% of adults who experienced injury-related movement difficulty also experienced some complex activity limitation.
Conclusions
Using NHIS data, we have demonstrated the applicability of an approach using basic actions difficulty and complex activity limitations to measure functioning and participation in individuals with a specific type and cause of difficulty: injury-related movement difficulty. The operationalization of these constructs provides a possible tool to monitor progress toward the attainment of the equalization of opportunities among people with injury-related movement difficulty.
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA
Corresponding author: 3311 Toledo Road.
Financial disclosure: The authors have no financial disclosures to report. Neither author has any conflict of interest that might include specific financial interests or relationships and affiliations relevant to the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.
The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ABSTRACT