Core set da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF) como ferramenta de classificação da saúde física de idosos residentes na comunidade

Abstract

Introduction: With aging, there are changes in the morbidity and mortality of the population, with an increase in physical health impairment. This is commonly evaluated in clinical practice and research by self-reported health, which is a comprehensive and reliable health measure involving physical and emotional factors and is predictive of functional decline and mortality, regardless of objective health measures. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is an important multidimensional assessment strategy, where it is possible to identify the domains that are related to the functional state that the person presents. Because it is an extensive tool, Core Sets have gained space today because they are formed by ICF categories considered essential for the evaluation of a certain health condition. In this perspective, Ruaro (2014) developed a Core Set of ICF to evaluate the physical health of the older persons and this study aims to assess its construct validity in evaluating the physical health of the community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which community-dwelling older adults were evaluated in relation to socio-demographic data, comorbidities, self-reported health, depressive symptoms and the ICF Core Set for the physical health of the older persons, which is composed of 30 categories of ICF, being 14 related to body functions, 4 to body structures, 9 to activities and participation, and 3 to environmental factors. The relationship between the domains and the socioeconomic and health variables was performed by comparing means of the injury / problem indexes by the categories of the variables using Student's t test or ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between the ICF Core set and self-adjusted health adjusted for confounding factors (age, income sufficiency, and schooling). A p <0.05 and 95% CI were considered at all stages. Results: 101 older persons participated in the study. Those with 3 or more chronic diseases and with depressive symptoms had higher indexes of injury / problem in Body Function (p<0.001), Body Structures (p<0.001), and Activity and Participation (p<0.01) domains. The older persons who reported very good or good health had a lower index of injury / problem in the domains of ICF than those who reported reasonable health, which in turn had a lower index than those reporting health as poor or very poor. The relationship between a self-rated health and the Core set was maintained even after the adjustment for confounders, with older adults with higher injury / problems reporting their health as poor or very poor in Body Structures (p<0,001), Body Function (p<0,01) and Activity and Participation: capacity (p = 0,02) and Performance (p = 0,01). Conclusion: The results suggest that the ICF Core Set for assessing the physical health of the older persons is related to selfreported health, even after adjusting for confounding variables. It is considered a valid instrument and can be used in clinical practice and scientific research, since it allows to identify modifiable aspects, both contextual and clinical, that may be the target of interventions.