Sports Classification and Athletes With Intellectual Disabilities: Measuring Health Status Using a Questionnaire Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

Most people with intellectual disabilities have comorbid health conditions, which will impact optimization of sporting performance. Classification is used in Paralympic events to ensure that those with similar levels of functional ability compete fairly against each other. An evidence-based approach needs to be developed for athletes with intellectual disabilities to be classified in relation to their overall functional capacity into competition groups of similar ability. This research builds on previous work using the taxonomy of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to group athletes with intellectual disabilities into comparable competition groups as an approach to Paralympic classification. Three groups of athletes-Virtus, Special Olympics, and Down syndrome-are compared using the ICF questionnaire indicating functional health status in relation to sporting performance. The questionnaire was found to discriminate between athletes with Down syndrome and other athletes, and an approach to using a cutoff score to develop competition classes is explored.

Developing additional competition classes for athletes with intellectual impairments: Conceptual approach and efficacy of an ICF derived measure.

The purpose of para sport classification systems is to minimize the impact of impairment on competition outcome. Currently, athletes with intellectual impairment (II) compete in one class, regardless of the extent of activity limitation resulting from their impairment. Consequently, athletes with II that cause relatively minor difficulty in sport have a competitive advantage over athletes who have intellectual impairments that cause more significant advantage. This research investigated the efficacy of a measure of health-related functional impairment, derived from the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), as a tool to classify athletes with intellectual impairments (II) into groups with impairments that cause similar activity limitation. The first study used a Delphi technique to identify the most relevant codes within the ICF from which a measure of impairment presence and severity was derived. The second study investigated whether the measure could discriminate between groups of II athletes organized into three competition groups, and whether these groups could be predicted by ICF score. The ICF-based questionnaire shows promise as a conceptual approach and as a tool in this context, but this is a preliminary step before establishing a sport-specific approach to classification.

Assessment and treatment of physical health problems among people with schizophrenia: national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In the UK and other high-income countries, life expectancy in people with schizophrenia is 20% lower than in the general population. AIMS: To examine the quality of assessment and treatment of physical health problems in people with schizophrenia. Method Retrospective audit of records of people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder aged ⩾18. We collected data on nine key aspects of physical health for 5091 patients and combined these with a cross-sectional patient survey. RESULTS: Body mass index was recorded in 2599 (51.1%) patients during the previous 12 months and 1102 (21.6%) had evidence of assessment of all nine key measures. Among those with high blood sugar, there was recorded evidence of 53.5% receiving an appropriate intervention. Among those with dyslipidaemia, this was 19.9%. Despite this, most patients reported that they were satisfied with the physical healthcare they received. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment and treatment of common physical health problems in people with schizophrenia falls well below acceptable standards. Cooperation and communication between primary and secondary care services needs to improve if premature mortality in this group is to be reduced.