Perceived disability and observed functional limitations in obese women.

OBJECTIVE: To describe perceived disability in obese women.
DESIGN: Comparisons of perceived disability in obese women and in a normal-weight reference group regarding activities of daily life (ADL), mobility, housework and professional work as well as comparisons of perceived disability and observed functional limitations reported in a previous study.
SUBJECTS: Fifty-seven consecutively selected obese female outpatients, mean age 44 y (body mass index (BMI) 37 kg/m2) and 22 voluntary referents, mean age 49 y (BMI 22 kg/m2). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A pain questionnaire (for background data) and a disability questionnaire, which is new, detailed and specific with test-retest stability and content- and criterion-referenced validity. Comparisons of results from the questionnaire and a functional test regarding observations of similar functional limitations.
RESULTS: The obese women perceived disability to a much higher extent (P<0.003) than did the normal-weight women. The main problems concerned occupational work in strenuous positions, strain and pain, sports, walking outdoors or on stairs, and moderate housework requiring squatting, stooping or lifting. Rising from sofas, pedicure and stress incontinence were problematic. The correlation between perceived disability and functional limitations was fairly good (r(s)=0.56) but ranged widely (r(s)=0.14-0.61). Within the group of obese women the disability neither correlated to BMI nor age, rather to lower-body pain.
CONCLUSION: The disability questionnaire conveyed new and detailed information of disability problems in everyday life in obese women. It highlighted the difference between the disability these women may perceive and the functional limitations we can observe and measure. This result is of great clinical relevance in the care of obese women.