Article

The ascendance of the World Health Organization's International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Heath (ICF) as the global standard for describing and
characterizing aspects of disability has refocused attention on the role that
environmental factors (EFs) have on the health and participation of people with
disabilities, both as individuals and as a group. There has been a rise in the
development of instruments designed to measure EFs alone and in relation to
participation. Some instrument developers have used the ICF as a theoretical base
for instrument development and to substantiate content validity claims. We
contend that this is a misapplication of the ICF. There is a need to step back
and reexamine the role that environmental theories can play in developing a
conceptually driven approach to measuring the interaction between EFs and
participation. For this review, we draw on the fields of social, community, and
developmental psychology; disability studies; gerontology; public health; and
rehabilitation. We discuss different approaches to the measurement of EFs. We
suggest that given the complex nature of EFs and their influence on
participation, there is a need for a fresh approach to EF measurement. The
thoughtful application of theories and the use of advanced psychometric,
measurement, and e-technologies and data visualization methods may enable
researchers and clinicians to better quantify, document, and communicate the
dynamic interrelationship between EFs and participation and health outcomes for
people with disabilities at the individual, group, and population levels.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS