Physical Functioning: Mobility

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Working Paper No.3 Add.1 11
November 2005 STATISTICAL COMMISSION
and STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE UN ECONOMIC
COMMISSION FOR EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES EUROPE
(EUROSTAT)   CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN WORLD
HEALTH STATISTICIANS 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 MadansNational Center for Health
Statistics, U.S.A
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Physical Functioning Mobility

• Concept
• 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
• Musculoskeletal conditions, missing limbs
• Vision
• Heart, Circulatory or Respiratory conditions
• Neurological conditions relating to balance
• Pain
• Fatigue

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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
• CANT DO AT ALL

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Mobility Characteristics ofProposed 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 cant do at all
• Severity
• Measured for each activity
• Activities also vary in difficulty so a more
  complex hierarchy could be obtained