Article

PURPOSE: To identify obese patients' disability features considering the level of
body impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions in relation
to environmental factors' effect. METHOD: 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.

Langue : ANGLAIS