This paper examines misclassification error in survey estimates of disability. The results suggest that a significant number of those with a disability fail to be recorded as such in the British Household Panel Survey. In addition, the probability of a false positive is estimated as being very close to zero in all socio-demographic groups. There is a strong bias in estimates of differences in r...

This paper analyzes evidence on changes in disability among the elderly and considers its implications. Disability among the elderly has declined by 1 percent or more per year for the past several decades. Strong evidence relates these changes to improved medical technology and to behavioral changes. Changes in socioeconomic status, disease exposure, and use of supportive aids are likely import...

BACKGROUND Patient-Reported Expanded Disability Status Scale (PREDSS) tools are an attractive alternative to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) during long term or geographically challenging studies, or in pressured clinical service environments. OBJECTIVES Because the studies reporting these tools have used different metrics to compare the PREDSS and EDSS, we undertook an individual...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To study differences in total life expectancy and in occupationally active life expectancy in relation to social class and marital status in men classified as healthy as young adults. DESIGN Historical cohort study. SETTING Finland. PARTICIPANTS Altogether 1662 men classified as completely healthy at the time of induction to military service (mean birth year 1923), who had...

Both policy debate and research have focused on the linkage between the availability and generosity of public disability benefits and the reduction in the work effort of older men. That linkage is the subject of this paper. First, quantitative research in the area is reviewed and the differences in the results are examined. Results differ owing to differences in (1) model specification, (2) the...

BACKGROUND Social participation is an integral part of everyday life in society; however, evidence about its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to explore whether social participation is associated with the Physical Component Summary of HRQoL (PCS) and Mental Component Summary of HRQoL (...

Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) are less physically active than nondiseased persons and often report low self-efficacy levels. In the context of an awareness project to promote physical activity and participation in MS, we addressed the impact of training for and participation in a unique expedition. Medical events, relapses, and self-reported neurological worsening were followed from 6 mo...

STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. PURPOSE We compared the disability and functional outcome after conservative treatment with prolonged physiotherapy versus early surgical intervention in patients with lumbar disk herniation. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE Lumbar disk herniation is one of the most common causes of job-related disability in individuals less than 45 years old. Conservative tr...

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with significant impairment. OBJECTIVE The objective of this article is to identify and compare clinical measures that can predict self-rated disability in patients with MS using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS-II). METHODS Patients with MS and healthy controls were consecutively recruited at one center...

People with intellectual disability have significantly higher age-adjusted rates of mortality and morbidity than their non-disabled peers. While self-rated health status is commonly used as an indicator of the health status of populations of interest, few studies have explored the self-rated health of adults with intellectual disability. We undertook secondary analysis of de-identified cross-se...