A population survey in Italy based on the ICF classification: recognizing persons with severe disability

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation medicine
• Disability studies
• Public health

Background:

• The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a framework for understanding disability.
• Defining and quantifying severe disability is crucial for targeted interventions and support.
• Existing models may not fully capture the nuances of functional limitations and participation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To operationalize the definition of "severe disability" using the ICF framework.
• To analyze the relationship between body functions/structures and activities/participation in severely disabled individuals.
• To differentiate the impact of personal support versus environmental factors on functioning.

Main Methods:

• A protocol based on the ICF, including body functions/structures (BF/BS), activities/participation (A&P), and environmental factors (EF).
• Inclusion of performance without personal support (WPS) alongside capacity and performance metrics.
• Statistical analysis using Spearman's coefficient to assess correlations and differences.

Main Results:

• 200 out of 1051 subjects met the criteria for severe disability.
• Mild to moderate correlations (0.148-0.394) were observed between BF and A&P.
• Performance-WPS showed greater similarity to capacity than to overall performance, indicating the influence of support.

Conclusions:

• The developed approach effectively identifies individuals with severe disability.
• The study successfully distinguishes the influence of personal support from environmental factors.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering personal support in assessing and addressing disability.