Research Reports

Assessment of the Concurrent Validity of the ICF Core Set to Classify the Physical Health of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Relation to Self-Rated Health

Oliveira, Naama Samai Costa PT, MSc¹; Monteiro, Isabel Oliveira PT, MSc¹; Ruaro, João Afonso PT, PhD²; Dantas, Diego de Sousa PT, PhD³; Lima, Núbia Maria Freire Vieira PT, PhD¹; Fernandes, Aline Braga Galvão Silveira PT, PhD¹; Nobre, Thaiza Teixeira Xavier PT, PhD¹; da Câmara, Saionara Maria Aires PT, PhD¹

Author Information

¹Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil.

²Physiotherapy Department, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.

³Physiotherapy Department, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.

Address correspondence to: Saionara Maria Aires da Câmara, PT, PhD, Postgraduate Program in Collective Health, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil ([email protected]).

This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) [Finance Code 001].

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's Web site (www.jgptonline.com).

Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy 46(1):p 71-81, January/March 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/JPT.0000000000000314

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Abstract

Background and Purpose:

The present study aimed to assess the concurrent validity of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set to classify physical health of older adults in relation to self-rated health.

Methods:

This is a methodological study conducted in Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte (RN) state, in Northeastern Brazil, with 101 community-dwelling older adults. The participants rated their health status, which was classified into 3 groups: very good, fair, and poor/very poor. An interview was then conducted using self-reported and objective measurements to classify physical health according to the ICF core set. It consists of 30 categories, 14 of which belong to the body function (b) component, 4 to body structures (s), 9 to activities and participation (d), and 3 related to environmental factors (e). To analyze the compromised and problematic categories in the ICF, an impairment index was created for each component. The relationship between self-rated health and the impairment indexes was assessed using the multinomial logistic regression test adjusted for age, sex, schooling, and perception of income sufficiency.

Results:

A greater likelihood of poor or very poor self-rated health was found in older individuals with the highest impairment index in (b) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.18; P < .001); (s) (OR = 1.11; P≤ .001); (d) capacity (OR = 1.09; P = .02); and (d) performance (OR = 1.08; p = 0.01).

Conclusion:

The results suggest that the ICF core set is a valid instrument to assess the physical health of older adults, since it is associated with self-rated health and shows potential for use in clinical practice and scientific research, with universal language regarding functionality and physical health in older adults.