Transcript Working Paper No.3 Add.1 11 November 2005 STATISTICAL COMMISSION and UN ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (EUROSTAT) CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN STATISTICIANS WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) Joint UNECE/WHO/Eurostat.

Working Paper No.3 Add.1
11 November 2005
STATISTICAL COMMISSION and
UN ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR
EUROPE
STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
(EUROSTAT)
CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN
STATISTICIANS
WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION (WHO)
Joint UNECE/WHO/Eurostat Meeting
on the Measurement of Health Status
(Budapest, Hungary, 14-16 November 2005)
Session 3 – Invited paper
Physical function: Mobility
Jennifer Madans
National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.A
Physical Functioning: Mobility
 Concept:
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Questions on this aspect of functioning are found on most health surveys
Getting from one place to another using lower limbs
Generally measured by walking and climbing steps; less often by running
Related lower body functions – bending, stooping, crouching
 Specification of tasks:
 Distance
 Speed
 Surface (e.g. level vs. incline; type of material; barriers)
 Attribution:
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Musculoskeletal conditions, missing limbs
Vision
Heart, Circulatory or Respiratory conditions
Neurological conditions relating to balance
Pain
Fatigue
Proposed items for measuring
physical function – mobility:
 By yourself, and without using any special
equipment, how much difficulty do you have…
…Walking a few steps?
…Walking a quarter of a mile/about 3 city blocks/xxx
meters?
…Walking up 10 steps with resting?
…Running a short way (about xxx meters)?
 NO DIFFICULTY
 ONLY A LITTLE DIFFICULTY
 SOME DIFFICULTY
 A LOT OF DIFFICULTY
 CAN’T DO AT ALL
Mobility: Characteristics of
Proposed Questions
 Filter Question:
 Not used: concern that use would eliminate less severe difficulties
 Assistive Devices:
 Optimum to obtain information on the use of devices and level of
difficulty with and without any devices used
 If not possible, obtain level of functioning without the use of devices
 Recall period/chronicity:
 Not specified
 Response categories
 No difficulty to can’t do at all
 Severity
 Measured for each activity
 Activities also vary in difficulty so a more complex hierarchy could be
obtained