Associations among occupational roles, independence, assistive technology, and purchasing power of individuals with physical disabilities

Daniel Marinho Cezar Da Cruz,Maria Luisa Guillaumon Emmel

doi:10.1590/s0104-11692013000200003

Daniel Marinho Cezar Da Cruz, Maria Luisa Guillaumon Emmel

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-11692013000200003

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Abstract

to verify whether there are associations among occupational roles, independence to perform Activities of Daily Living, purchasing power, and assistive technology for individuals with physical disabilities. 91 individuals with physical disabilities participated in the study. The instruments used were: Role Checklist, Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion, Barthel Index, and a Questionnaire to characterize the subjects. an association with a greater number of roles was found among more independent individuals using a lower number of technological devices. Higher purchasing power was associated with a lower functional status of dependence. even though technology was not directly associated with independence, the latter was associated with a greater number of occupational roles, which requires reflection upon independence issues when considering the participation in occupational roles. These findings support interdisciplinary actions designed to promote occupational roles in individuals with physical disabilities.

Highlights

According to the Brazilian Census 2000, about 14.5% of inhabitants were considered to have at least one type of disability(1)
The scores that classify individuals in each class are: 42 to 46 points are required to be classified in A1; 35 to 41 points for A2; 29 to 34 points to be classified in B1; 23 to 28 points for B2; 18 to 22 points for C1; 14 to 17 points for C2; 8 to 13 points for D; and 0 to 7 points are required to be classified in Class E. 3) Questionnaire: Aiming to characterize the individuals in socio-demographic terms in relation to rehabilitation and quantity of assistive technology devices, we deemed that the development of an instrument to describe these aspects was the most appropriate
In regard to level of independence, the results obtained by the BI revealed that the classification of mild dependency was predominant among the subjects (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

According to the Brazilian Census 2000, about 14.5% of inhabitants were considered to have at least one type of disability(1) This survey indicated there is a relationship among disability, poverty and social inequality, showing that 46% of the disabled individuals with a greater degree of incapacity and 29% of the disabled individuals with mild and moderate degrees of incapacity live in situations of poverty(1). It is estimated that there are 22,400 people with some type of disability in the city of São Carlos, SP, Brazil(3). The socio-demographic and health indicators for 2009 in Brazil show that the rates of functional incapacity in the poorer elderly (up to one times the minimum wage per capita) are higher than among elderly individuals with higher incomes (more than five times the minimum wage per capita). Data indicate that income is inversely associated with functional capacity, that is, the higher the income, the lower one’s functional incapacity(4)

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