Interviewer instructions
[For persons of all ages]
[Questions 1 to 12a]
Question No. 6: Health limitations
This question has no relation to question 4 (anyone in this household has any physical or mental disability?) in Chapter IV, list of occupants.
The purpose of this question is to know the living conditions of people with permanent limitations to do their daily activities, i.e. to know if these limitations are due to problems in different functions or structures of their bodies. It is also aimed at determining the amount of limitations found in activities that a person actually does, as opposed to the activities she would like to do or can do, but she does not because of various personal or environmental reasons.
Limitations to do an activity: this means, having difficulty with an activity that involves:
Increased effort to do the activity
Discomfort or pain when doing the activity
Slowness in doing the activity
Changes in the way of doing the activity
With this question we want to establish if the respondent has any limitation.
If the respondent answers "Yes", mark circle 1.
If the answer is "No" mark circle 2.
Notice that a limitation could be:
a. Mild, moderate or low: Symptoms, signs or consequences exist and generate some difficulty to perform activities of daily living. The person is independent in self-care activities (dressing, eating, bathing, grooming, etc.); however, there are very specific activities that she cannot perform given her condition.
[p. 139]
b. Many limitations or distress: Symptoms, signs or consequences cause a decrease or a significant incapacity in the ability of a person to perform most activities of daily living, even self-care activities may be affected.
c. Extreme / cannot do it or very severe disability, either total or absolute: such as blindness, deafness, paralysis, among others. The symptoms, signs or consequences prevent them to conduct activities of daily living.
Read slowly the alternatives and mark the corresponding circle, according to the responses given by the respondents, being those yes or no.
You should remember that:
a. Do you have trouble hearing, even with hearing aids?: Refers to people who have serious or major difficulties, even with the use of hearing aids or other technical assistance for hearing; sirens, alarms, warning devices, among others. It also refers to people who, due to a loss or decrease in hearing, are unable to understand a conversation in a normal tone. People with total deafness in one ear (i.e. listen well only in one ear), should be included in this disability.
b. Do you have difficulty viewing, even when you wear glasses?: Refers to people with serious and important problems of vision, whether near or long distance vision, or problems to sense the presence of light, so they see blurry or see shades, even with glasses or lenses, whatever the cause.
c. Do you have difficulty walking or moving permanently?: Refers to difficulty standing or walking for long periods of time (greater than or equal to 30 minutes) or long distances. They include people with difficulties in maintaining and changing body parts in different positions, or prostrate people with no possibility of movement in their own bed. It also includes getting up, lying down and standing up, in the case of people with major difficulties in making and maintaining those positions. Example: people with paralysis of the four limbs (tetra or quadriplegia); elderly or, that situation that requires them to be in bed due to a deficiency of mobility (extreme obesity).
[p. 140]
[People with physical disabilities can use wheelchairs (electric or manual) or walking with difficulty, sometimes with crutches or a cane.
They [those using wheelchairs and those walking with difficulties] have different degrees of autonomy; some can climb up some steps; some just use a wheelchair to get around, for short periods or permanently. However, they are considered disabled because there are activities that they cannot do, even with technical assistance.]
d. Do you have any permanent difficulty using your arms and / or hands?: It refers to the difficulty of moving the upper limbs (arms and hands) that generates limitation to grab.
e. Do you have any permanent difficulty speaking or communicating?: Refers to severe or important difficulties to pronounce words or to generate and send messages by voice. For example: people with serious language disorders produced by brain injuries, stroke, head trauma, or language disorders associated with dementia, mental retardation, cleft palate, stuttering, confusion of words, among others.
f. Do you have any permanent difficulty learning?: It refers to the difficulty of learning in a normal way, abstract content such as mathematical operations, complex concepts, retention of ideas for long periods. It involves learning, understanding, and applying what is learned, and also involves the ability to focus, read, write, solve problems and make decisions at an expected level.
[There is a sample image of the form.]
[p. 141]
Remember that all questions must have an answer, either "Yes" or "No"
Example:
The respondent stated that she listens well and sees well with lenses, she has problems with her knees and has trouble bending and walking long distances. The doctor told her that she suffers from arthritis and the disease is lifelong lasting. She has no difficulty moving her arms and hands yet. She has no problems to speak or learn, because at age 50 she began a course in English.
[There is a sample image of the form.]
Ask this question, if in the list of occupants (Chapter IV), the name of a person has been marked with circle 1 in question 4 (disability), otherwise mark circle 8 "None".
