Obesity-related disability: key factors identified by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
OBJECTIVE
To identify obese patients' disability features considering the level of body impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions in relation to environmental factors' effect.


METHODS
Adult obese inpatients (BMI > 35) were enrolled and were administered a set of 166 ICF categories. Count-based indexes were developed for each ICF component: correlations and regression on performance and capacity indexes were performed.


RESULTS
Fifty-one patients (62.7% females, mean age 38.1) entered in the study. Description of ICF-based disability components is reported. Capacity is better correlated with body functions (r = 0.619, P < 0.01) and body structures (r = 0.375, P < 0.01) than performance; on the contrary, environmental barriers are correlated better with performance (r = 0.531, P < 0.01) than with capacity. Impairments in body functions and environmental barriers are the best predictors of limitations both in capacity and in performance.


CONCLUSIONS
Through this multidisciplinary approach, supported by ICFs biopsychosocial model, we described functioning and disability in obese patients, highlighting the strong effect of body functions' impairments and the limited one of environmental factors. This approach can guide rehabilitation programmes, the promotion of positive health outcomes and the modification of patients' lifestyle, not only intended as an issue of barriers' elimination, but as the activation and maintenance of environmental facilitators.
Raggi
Alberto
A
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit - Scientific Directorate, Neurological Institute C. Besta IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
Brunani
Amelia
A
Sirtori
Anna
A
Liuzzi
Antonio
A
Berselli
Maria Elisa
ME
Villa
Valentina
V
Ceriani
Francesca
F
Leonardi
Matilde
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012044:Regression Analysis