The role of statistics on health status in the context of measuring quality of life

Abstract

International initiatives are currently underway to develop improved measures of health status within an overall framework of health statistics. These efforts identify functioning as the key dimension by which the health of a population can be summarized. Functioning is also the aspect of health that is most closely related to quality of life. Functioning and disability represent the impact of pathologies at the cellular, organ and body system level on the person's ability to participate fully in society. The social, political and physical environment in which a person lives can modify the effect of functional limitations in core domains with the effect of maximizing participation in society. While complex, these relationships are central to improving quality of life. However, these key indicators of health have proven among the most difficult to measure in valid, reliable and comparable ways. The Washington Group on Disability Statistics and the Budapest Initiative on the Measurement of Health State are developing and testing question sets that can be included in national statistical data collection efforts. The information generated can be used as core measures of health and health related quality of life. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the work of these two groups and explore the role of functioning in measuring quality of life.