| Demographic Group: | Resident persons aged >=18 years. |
| Numerator: | Sum of the number of days during the previous 30 days for which respondents aged >=18 years report that their usual activities (e.g., self-care, work, and recreation) were limited because of poor physical or mental health. |
| Denominator: | Number of respondents aged >=18 years who report (or for whom it can be imputed*) >=0 days during the previous 30 days of activity limitation because of poor physical or mental health multiplied by 30 days (excluding unknowns and refusals). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Mean number of days with activity limitation during the previous 30 days — crude and age-adjusted (standardized by the direct method to the year 2000 standard U.S. population, distribution 9†) — with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous 30 days. |
| Background: | During 1993–2000, the mean number of days of recent activity limitation because of poor physical or mental health during the previous 30 days was 1.8. In 1999, a total of 6.2% of adult U.S. residents experienced >=14 days with poor physical or mental health that kept them from doing their usual activities. This is an available measure of disability burden. |
| Significance: | Experiencing activity limitations because of poor physical or mental health interferes with social functioning, is associated with health behavior, and is an indicator of population productivity. A measure of disability burden should be monitored as a chronic condition. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | Although this indicator is based on self-assessment, it has been demonstrated to have good reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Because of the skip pattern in the computation, 0 days must be imputed for respondents who report 0 days for both recent physical and mental health. |
| Data Resources: | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/HRQOL/ |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, BRFSS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., lower telephone coverage among populations of low socioeconomic status), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | HP2010 Overarching Goal 1: Increase quality and years of healthy life.
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