The Global Activity Limitation Index mainly measured functional disability, whereas self-rated health measured physical morbidity

Predictive value of the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) on all-cause mortality

OBJECTIVES

The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) is an instrument that measures long-term overall disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate GALI's predictive value on mortality while examining variations according to sex, age, and educational level.

STUDY DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

METHODS

This longitudinal study was based on 42,991 individuals aged ≥15 years who participated in the 2011-2012 National Health Survey and the 2014 European Health Survey in Spain. These records were linked to mortality data up to December 2021. GALI assessed self-reported functional limitation in the past 6 months and classified individuals into three categories: severely limited, limited but not severely, and not limited. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated using Poisson regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health status variables.

RESULTS

Compared to individuals with no limitations, those with non-severe limitations had an IRR for mortality of 1.27 (95% CI: 1.16-1.38), and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.81-2.31) in those with severe limitations. Women with severe limitations exhibited a higher IRR (2.32; 95% CI: 1.98-2.71) compared to men (1.73; 95% CI: 1.45-2.08) (P for interaction = 0.005). Individuals <65 years with severe limitations showed a greater association (2.22; 95% CI: 1.58-3.10) than those ≥65 (1.49; 95% CI: 1.32-1.69) (P for interaction <0.001). Among individuals with lower educational attainment, the IRR was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.83-2.37), and 1.87 (95% CI: 1.37-2.56) for the higher education group (P for interaction = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

GALI is a robust predictor of all-cause mortality in the general population and subgroups. The association is stronger in women, individuals <65 years, and those with lower educational levels.

Mapping the EQ-5D-5L from the Spanish national health survey functional disability scale through Bayesian networks

PURPOSE

Preference-based measures are valuable tools for evaluating therapeutic interventions and for cost-effectiveness studies. Mapping procedures are useful when it is not possible to collect these kind of measures. The objective of this study was to evaluate which mapping method is the most appropriate to estimate the EQ-5D-5L index from the Spanish National Health Survey functional disability scale.

METHODS

The sample, formed by 5708 older adults (aged 65 years or older), was drawn from the Spanish National Health Survey ("Encuesta Nacional de Salud en España," ENSE in Spanish 2011-2012). The predictions of EQ-5D-5L index were performed with response mapping using Bayesian network (BN), ordered logit (Ologit), and multinomial logistic (ML). The following direct methods were used: ordinary least squares (OLS) and Tobit regression. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and root-mean squared error (RMSE) were calculated to compare all models. The predictions of response models were obtained through the expected value method.

RESULTS

BN model showed the highest ICC (0.756, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.733-0.777) and lowest MAE (0.110, 95% CI 0.104-0.115). OLS was the model with worse accuracy results with lowest ICC (0.621, 95% CI 0.553-0.681) and highest MAE (0.159, 95%CI: 0.145-0.173).

CONCLUSION

Indirect mapping methods (BN, Ologit, and ML) had a better accuracy than the direct methods. The response mapping approach provides a robust method to estimate EQ-5D-5L scores from the functional disability scale.

Does the global activity limitation indicator measure participation restriction? Data from the European Health and Social Integration Survey in Spain

PURPOSE

The global activity limitation indicator (GALI) is the only internationally agreed and harmonised participation restriction measure. We examine if GALI, as intended, is a reflective measure of the domains of participation; furthermore, we determine the relative importance of these domains. Also, we investigated the consistency of response to GALI by age and gender and compared the performance of GALI with that of self-rated health (SRH).

METHODS

We used Spanish data from the European Health and Social Integration Survey and selected adults aged 18 and over (N = 13,568). Data analysis, based on logistic regression models and Shapley value decomposition, were also stratified by age. The predictors of the models were demographic variables and restrictions in participation domains: studies, work, mobility, leisure and social activities, domestic life, and self-care. The GALI and SRH were the response variables.

RESULTS

GALI was strongly associated with all participation domains (e.g. for domestic life, adjusted OR 24.34 (95% CI 18.53-31.97) in adult under 65) and performed differentially with age (e.g. for domestic life, adjusted OR 13.33 (95% CI 10.42-17.03) in adults over 64), but not with gender. The relative importance of domains varied with age (e.g. work was the most important domain for younger and domestic life for older adults). The results with SRH were parallel to those of GALI, but the association of SRH with participation domains was lowest.

CONCLUSIONS

GALI reflects well restrictions in multiple participation domains and performs differently with age, probably because older people lower their standard of good functioning.

Simple questionnaires outperform behavioral tasks to measure socio-emotional skills in students

Recent empirical research has shown that improving socio-emotional skills such as grit, conscientiousness and self-control leads to higher academic achievement and better life outcomes. However, both theoretical and empirical works have raised concerns about the reliability of the different methods used to measure socio-emotional skills. We compared the reliability and validity of the three leading measurements methods—a student-reported questionnaire, a teacher-reported questionnaire, and a behavioral task—in a sample of 3997 French students. Before analyzing the data, we polled 114 international researchers in cognitive development and education economics; most researchers in both fields predicted that the behavioral task would be the best method. We found instead that the teacher questionnaire was more predictive of students’ behavioral outcomes and of their grade progression, while the behavioral task was the least predictive. This work suggests that researchers may not be using optimal tools to measure socio-emotional skills in children.

Contextual factors underpinning geographical inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in 100 French départements

The objectives were to estimate disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) and life expectancy with disability (DLE) by gender for the 100 French départements (administrative geographical subdivisions) and to investigate associations with socioeconomic factors, supply of healthcare and services for older persons. DFLE and DLE at age 60 are estimated using the Sullivan method and based on the GALI indicator provided by the French cross-sectional survey Vie Quotidienne et Santé 2014. In 2014, DFLE for men and women aged 60 was 14.3 years and 15.6 years, respectively. Variations across départements were considerable (5.4 years for men, 6.7 years for women). Multivariate random effects meta-regression models indicated a negative association for men between DFLE and some of the socioeconomic contextual indicators (ratio of manual workers to higher-level occupations and unemployment rate); the level of in-home nursing services (HNS) was negatively associated with DFLE and density of nurses positively associated with DLE. Among women, ratio of manual workers to higher-level occupations, unemployment rate, proportion of the population living in large urban areas, density of nurses, and level of HNS were negatively associated with DFLE; density of physiotherapy supply was associated positively with DFLE and negatively with DLE. Our results suggest that geographical inequalities in health expectancies are significantly correlated with socioeconomic status and with healthcare supply, support for older persons, and urban environments, particularly among women. These results underline the importance of monitoring these indicators and disparities at infra-national-level, and of investigating their relations with local context, particularly the supply of healthcare and services.

Determinants of inequalities in years with disability: an international-comparative study

Background

Persons with a lower socioeconomic position spend more years with disability, despite their shorter life expectancy, but it is unknown what the important determinants are. This study aimed to quantify the contribution to educational inequalities in years with disability of eight risk factors: father’s manual occupation, low income, few social contacts, smoking, high alcohol consumption, high body-weight, low physical exercise and low fruit and vegetable consumption.

Methods

We collected register-based mortality and survey-based disability and risk factor data from 15 European countries covering the period 2010–14 for most countries. We calculated years with disability between the ages of 35 and 80 by education and gender using the Sullivan method, and determined the hypothetical effect of changing the prevalence of each risk factor to the prevalence observed among high educated (‘upward levelling scenario’), using Population Attributable Fractions.

Results

Years with disability among low educated were higher than among high educated, with a difference of 4.9 years among men and 5.5 years among women for all countries combined. Most risk factors were more prevalent among low educated. We found the largest contributions to inequalities in years with disability for low income (men: 1.0 year; women: 1.4 year), high body-weight (men: 0.6 year; women: 1.2 year) and father’s manual occupation (men: 0.7 year; women: 0.9 year), but contributions differed by country. The contribution of smoking was relatively small.

Conclusions

Disadvantages in material circumstances (low income), circumstances during childhood (father’s manual occupation) and high body-weight contribute to inequalities in years with disability.

Association of the global activity limitation indicator with specific measures of disability in adults aged below 65

BACKGROUND

health measures as the global activity limitation indicator (GALI) or self-rated health (SRH) allow to quantify and monitor the health of the population. The GALI is widely used in the European Union; however, evidence of its construct validity is still limited. We examine whether the GALI reflects disability in specific living contexts such as self-care, domestic life and work activity, whether it does so consistently across gender and age and its added value concerning SRH.

METHODS

We used the subsample of adults aged 16-64 years (N = 15 934) from the 2009 European Health Interview Survey in Spain and analyzed the data with logistic regression models using the GALI and SRH as response variables.

RESULTS

The GALI was strongly and significantly associated with the three measures of disability: self-care (OR = 22.8, 95% CI: 15.9-32.7), domestic life (OR = 16.3, 95% CI: 13.6-19.5) and work activity (e.g. impossibility to work: OR = 41.9, 95% CI: 30.3-57.8; prolonged sick leave: OR = 10.7, 95% CI: 9-12.7). There were significant interactions with age on all three disability measures and with the gender on one (domestic life), although they were small. SRH was also strongly associated with all three disability measures, but to a lesser extent than the GALI.

CONCLUSIONS

The GALI reflects well and better than SRH, disability in self-care, domestic life and work activity. It is unknown whether the GALI performs equally in other living contexts such as social relations and community life.

The associations of self-rated health with cardiovascular risk proteins: a proteomics approach

Background

Though subjective, poor self-rated health (SRH) has consistently been shown to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD). The underlying mechanism is unclear. This study evaluates the associations of SRH with biomarkers for CVD, aiming to explore potential pathways between poor SRH and CVD.

Methods

Based on the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cardiovascular Cohort study, a targeted proteomics approach was used to assess the associations of SRH with 88 cardiovascular risk proteins, measured in plasma from 4521 participants without CVD. The false discovery rate (FDR) was controlled using the Benjamini and Hochberg method. Covariates taken into consideration were age, sex, traditional CVD risk factors (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, anti-hypertensive medication, diabetes, body mass index, smoking), comorbidity, life-style and psycho-social factors (education level, living alone, alcohol consumption, low physical activity, psychiatric medication, sleep duration, and unemployment).

Results

Age and sex-adjusted associations with SRH was found for 34 plasma proteins. Nine of them remained significant after adjustments for traditional CVD risk factors. After further adjustment for comorbidity, life-style and psycho-social factors, only leptin (β = − 0.035, corrected p = 0.016) and C–C motif chemokine 20 (CCL20; β = − 0.054, corrected p = 0.016) were significantly associated with SRH.

Conclusions

Poor SRH was associated with raised concentrations of many plasma proteins. However, the relationships were largely attenuated by adjustments for CVD risk factors, comorbidity and psycho-social factors. Leptin and CCL20 were associated with poor SRH in the present study and could potentially be involved in the SRH–CVD link.

Gender Differences in Disability and Economic Hardship in Older Europeans

European women live longer, but they experience more old age-related disability than men. Disability is related to social factors, among which is poverty, through various pathways. While women's poverty has been pointed up as a challenge for Europe, our study investigates to what extent and in which countries a greater exposure to economic hardship is associated with older women's disability disadvantage. We used the 2014 EU-SILC data in 30 European countries for men and women aged 50-79 years (N = [1179-17,474]). Disability was measured by self-reported activity limitation and economic hardship by difficulties in "making both ends meet" and "facing unexpected expenses". Country-specific nested logistic regressions measured the women's disability disadvantage and its association with economic hardship. We found that activity limitations and economic hardship varied substantially across Europe, being the lowest in Sweden and Norway. We found gender gaps in activity limitations in 23 countries, always to women's disadvantage. After adjusting for age, this disadvantage was significant in 19 countries. In 11 of these countries, women's excess disability is associated with excess economic hardship in women, especially in Iceland, France, Sweden, and Austria. Women's excess disability and social factors such as economic hardship are linked, even in protective countries. These situations of double disadvantage for women deserve attention when designing policies to reduce health inequalities and to promote healthy ageing.

Validation of the global activity limitation indicator in Taiwan

Background

The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) is a single-item measure of functional decline, it is widely used in Europe but it has never been validated in an Asian population. The aim of this study was to validate the GALI in a sample of older Taiwanese people and to explore whether it captured not only physical but also psychological limitations.

Methods

Data for 4961 individuals (mean age, 62.4 ± 9.4 years; 47.2% men) were obtained from a national representative refresh cohort of the 8th wave of the Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations among the GALI, activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and to explore whether depressive symptoms (measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D) could be an indicator of reporting limitations on the GALI.

Results

Responding to the GALI, 21.7% of the sample described themselves as ‘limited.’ In logistic regression, the GALI response was significantly associated with those who reported one or more ADL difficulties (odds ratio [OR] = 35.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 21.10, 61.03) and IADL difficulties (OR = 13.37, 95%CI 10.09, 17.71), respectively. Furthermore, those with more depressive symptoms were more likely to report they were ‘limited’ on the GALI.

Conclusions

These findings provided evidence that the GALI is a valid tool to assess general limitations in an Asian population. Furthermore, it captured psychological limitations to some extent. There were variations between Taiwan and European countries (as has been previously reported between European countries). The reporting level in the GALI by the Taiwan population was comparatively lower than that in European countries, highlighting the need to embrace cultural differences and to use caution when comparing GALI results across countries.

Contribution of chronic conditions to disability in men and women in France

Background

Women report more disability than men perhaps due to gender differences in the prevalence of diseases and/or in their disabling impact. We compare the contribution of chronic diseases to disability in men and women in France, using a disability survey conducted in both private households and institutions, and we also examine the effect of excluding the institutionalized population.

Methods

Data comprised 17 549 individuals age 50+, who participated in the 2008-09 French Disability Health Survey including people living in institutions. Disability was defined by limitations in activities people usually do due to health problems (global activity limitation indicator). Additive regression models were fitted separately by gender to estimate the contribution of conditions to disability taking into account multi-morbidity.

Results

Musculoskeletal diseases caused most disability for both men (10.1%, CI: 8.1-12.0) and women (16.0%, CI 13.6-18.2). The second contributor for men was heart diseases (5.7%, CI: 4.5-6.9%), and for women anxiety-depression (4.0, CI 3.1-5.0%) closely followed by heart diseases (3.8%, CI 2.9-4.7%). Women's higher contribution of musculoskeletal diseases reflected their higher prevalence and disabling impact; women's higher contribution of anxiety-depression and lower contributions of heart diseases reflected gender differences in prevalence. Excluding the institutionalized population did not change the overall conclusions.

Conclusions

The largest contributors to the higher disability of women than men are moderately disabling conditions with a high prevalence. Whereas traditional disabling conditions such as musculoskeletal diseases are more prevalent and disabling in women, fatal diseases such as cardiovascular disease are also important contributors in women and men.

Measuring disability: a systematic review of the validity and reliability of the Global Activity Limitations Indicator (GALI)

Background

GALI or Global Activity Limitation Indicator is a global survey instrument measuring participation restriction. GALI is the measure underlying the European indicator Healthy Life Years (HLY). Gali has a substantial policy use within the EU and its Member States. The objective of current paper is to bring together what is known from published manuscripts on the validity and the reliability of GALI.

Methods

Following the PRISMA guidelines, two search strategies (PUBMED, Google Scholar) were combined to identify manuscripts published in English with publication date 2000 or beyond. Articles were classified as reliability studies, concurrent or predictive validity studies, in national or international populations.

Results

Four cross-sectional studies (of which 2 international) studied how GALI relates to other health measures (concurrent validity). A dose-response effect by GALI severity level on the association with the other health status measures was observed in the national studies. The 2 international studies (SHARE, EHIS) concluded that the odds of reporting participation restriction was higher in subjects with self-reported or observed functional limitations. In SHARE, the size of the Odds Ratio’s (ORs) in the different countries was homogeneous, while in EHIS the size of the ORs varied more strongly. For the predictive validity, subjects were followed over time (4 studies of which one international). GALI proved, both in national and international data, to be a consistent predictor of future health outcomes both in terms of mortality and health care expenditure. As predictors of mortality, the two distinct health concepts, self-rated health and GALI, acted independently and complementary of each other. The one reliability study identified reported a sufficient reliability of GALI.

Conclusion

GALI as inclusive one question instrument fits all conceptual characteristics specified for a global measure on participation restriction. In none of the studies, included in the review, there was evidence of a failing validity. The review shows that GALI has a good and sufficient concurrent and predictive validity, and reliability.

Inequalities in the risk of disability due to traffic injuries in the Spanish adult population, 2009-2010

BACKGROUND

Although traffic injuries (TIs) are an important cause of disability the related factors are little known. We aimed to estimate the differences in risk of TI-related disability according to individual characteristics that might generate health inequalities.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study using a representative Spanish population sample drawn from the European Health Interview Survey 2009/2010. We calculated traffic crashes in the preceding year which resulted in injuries. Disability was measured using the Global Activity Limitation Indicator and four indicators of limitations (sensory, physical functional, self-care and domestic activities). Principal socio-demographic and behavioural/lifestyle variables were studied. We used multivariate logistic regression to estimate the risk (ORs) of TI-related disability in the sample as whole and disability-related factors in persons who had experienced TIs.

RESULTS

Persons with TIs had a higher risk of global disability (OR = 1.61; 95%CI:1.17-2.20), physical functional limitations (OR = 1.96; 95%CI:1.33-2.89) and self-care limitations (OR = 1.73; 95%CI:0.98-3.05). Among persons with TIs, GALI-related risk was higher in women (OR = 3.06, p = 0.002) and persons aged over 30 years (OR_31-45years = 6.81, p < 0.001; OR_46-64years = 5.96, p = 0.011; OR_>64years = 4.54, p = 0.047). Lower risk was observed among persons with a higher educational level (OR = 0.22, p = 0.003). The risk of disability among persons with TIs who consumed illegal drugs was OR = 3.9 (p = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

Traffic injuries in the preceding year are associated with higher risk of disability, which is unevenly distributed. Individual (women and persons over 30 years), socio-economic (lower educational level) and behavioural (illegal drug use) factors are involved. Actions aimed at changing the unequal risk among vulnerable subgroups and providing health, social and protective services should be implemented.

Economic Hardship and Educational Differentials in Disability in 26 European Countries

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this article is to study to what extent European variations in differentials in disability by education level are associated to variation in poverty.

METHOD

Using the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) for 26 countries, we measure the prevalence of activity limitation (AL) and the rate of economic hardship (EH) by level of education. We measure the increased AL prevalence (disadvantage) of the low-educated relative to the middle-educated and the reduced AL prevalence (advantage) of the high-educated groups, controlling or not for EH.

RESULTS

The rate of EH and the extent of the AL-advantage/disadvantage vary substantially across Europe. EH contributes to the AL-advantage/disadvantage but to different extent depending on its level across educational groups.

DISCUSSION

Associations between poverty, education, and disability are complex. In general, large EH goes along with increased disability differentials. Actions to reduce poverty are needed in Europe to reduce the levels and differentials in disability.

Impact of Question Wording on the Measurement of Activity Limitation: Evidence From a Randomized Test in France

OBJECTIVE

The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI), a single question measuring disability, had been introduced in various European surveys since 2004. The complexity of its wording has been questioned. Our study compares alternative variants aiming to simplify the wording.

METHOD

We used the Health-Related Opinion Survey run in 2014 in France (N = 3,009). Its split sample design allows testing four variants of the questions. We analyzed the prevalence of activity limitation (AL) resulting from the four different constructs of the GALI using multinomial logistic regressions, adjusted for background variables and functional limitations (FLs).

RESULTS

The alternative GALI variants result in significantly different prevalences compared with the original question, in particular for people with FL. The current variant is more inclusive than the routed variants.

DISCUSSION

Our study suggests limited benefits of changing the GALI construct which do not outweigh the costs of breaking the established chronological series of the current variant.

Childhood and adult socioeconomic position interact to predict health in mid life in a cohort of British women

BACKGROUND

Low childhood socioeconomic position (cSEP) is associated with poorer adult health, even after adult socioeconomic position (aSEP) is adjusted for. However, whether cSEP and aSEP combine additively or non-additively in predicting adult health is less well studied. Some evidence suggests that the combination of low cSEP and low aSEP is associated with worse health than would be predicted from the sum of their individual effects.

METHODS

Using data from female members of the British National Child Development Study cohort, we developed continuous quantitative measures of aSEP and cSEP, and used these to predict self-rated health at ages 23, 33, and 42.

RESULTS

Lower aSEP predicted poorer heath at all ages. Lower cSEP predicted poorer health at all ages, even after adjustment for aSEP, but the direct effects of cSEP were substantially weaker than those of aSEP. At age 23, the effects of cSEP and aSEP were additive. At ages 33 and 42, cSEP and aSEP interacted, such that the effects of low aSEP on health were more negative if cSEP had also been low.

CONCLUSIONS

As women age, aSEP and cSEP may affect their health interactively. High cSEP, by providing a good start in life, may be partially protective against later negative impacts of low aSEP. We relate this to the extended 'silver spoon' principle recently documented in a non-human species.

Harmonising summary measures of population health using global survey instruments

Summary measures of population health—health expectancies in particular—have become a standard for quantifying and monitoring population health. To date, cross-national comparability of health expectancies is limited, except within the European Union (EU). To advance international comparability, the European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years (JA: EHLEIS) set up an international working group. The working group discussed the conceptual basis of summary measures of population health and made suggestions for the development of comparable health expectancies to be used across the EU and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members. In this paper, which summarises the main results, we argue that harmonised health data needed for health expectancy calculation can best be obtained from ‘global’ survey measures, which provide a snapshot of the health situation using 1 or a few survey questions. We claim that 2 global measures of health should be pursued for their high policy relevance: a global measure of participation restriction and a global measure of functional limitation. We finally provide a blueprint for the future development and implementation of the 2 global measures. The blueprint sets the basis for subsequent international collaboration, having as a core group Member States of the EU, the USA and Japan. Other countries, in particular OECD members, are invited to join the initiative.

Educational differentials in disability vary across and within welfare regimes: a comparison of 26 European countries in 2009

BACKGROUND

Social differentials in disability prevalence exist in all European countries, but their scale varies markedly. To improve understanding of this variation, the article focuses on each end of the social gradient. It compares the extent of the higher disability prevalence in low social groups (referred to as disability disadvantage) and of the lower prevalence in high social groups (disability advantage); country-specific advantages/disadvantages are discussed regarding the possible influence of welfare regimes.

METHODS

Cross-sectional disability prevalence is measured by longstanding health-related activity limitation (AL) in the 2009 European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) across 26 countries classified into four welfare regime groups. Logistic models adjusted by country, age and sex (in all 30-79 years and in three age-bands) measured the country-specific ORs across education, representing the AL-disadvantage of low-educated and AL-advantage of high-educated groups relative to middle-educated groups.

RESULTS

The relative AL-disadvantage of the low-educated groups was small in Sweden (eg, 1.2 (1.0-1.4)), Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and Spain (youngest age-band), but was large in the Czech Republic (eg, 1.9 (1.7-2.2)), Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Hungary. The high-educated groups had a small relative AL-advantage in Denmark (eg, 0.9 (0.8-1.1)), but a large AL-advantage in Lithuania (eg, 0.5 (0.4-0.6)), half of the Baltic and Eastern European countries, Norway and Germany (youngest age-band). There were notable differences within welfare regime groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The country-specific disability advantages/disadvantages across educational groups identified here could help to identify determining factors and the efficiency of national policies implemented to tackle social differentials in health.

The global activity limitation indicator and self-rated health: two complementary predictors of mortality

Background

The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) and self-rated health (SRH) to predict all-cause mortality in the general adult population.

Methods

We linked the 2001 Belgian Health Interview Survey with mortality and migration registers 2001–2010. The baseline sample included 8,583 individuals aged 15 years and older. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the effect of the GALI and SRH on mortality rate during follow-up. We investigated the impact of gender, age, education and follow-up period on the association between the GALI/SRH and mortality.

Results

The GALI and SRH were strong and complementary predictors of mortality in the Belgian adult population. Although the two global instruments shared some traits, they predicted mortality concurrently, with some indication of a somewhat stronger effect for SRH. We found neither significant differences between men and women, nor between education groups. The predictive effect of the GALI and SRH slightly decreased over time and the predictive effect of SRH slightly decreased with age.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the GALI and SRH are useful and complementary measures for assessing the health and functional status of adults in population surveys.

Activity limitations predict health care expenditures in the general population in Belgium

Background

Disability and chronic conditions both have an impact on health expenditures and although they are conceptually related, they present different dimensions of ill-health. Recent concepts of disability combine a biological understanding of impairment with the social dimension of activity limitation and resulted in the development of the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI). This paper reports on the predictive value of the GALI on health care expenditures in relation to the presence of chronic conditions.

Methods

Data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey 2008 were linked with data from the compulsory national health insurance (n = 7,286). The effect of activity limitation on health care expenditures was assessed via cost ratios from multivariate linear regression models. To study the factors contributing to the difference in health expenditure between persons with and without activity limitations, the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method was used.

Results

Activity limitations are a strong determinant of health care expenditures. People with severe activity limitations (5.1%) accounted for 16.9% of the total health expenditure, whereas those without activity limitations (79.0%), were responsible for 51.5% of the total health expenditure. These observed differences in health care expenditures can to some extent be explained by chronic conditions, but activity limitations also contribute substantially to higher health care expenditures in the absence of chronic conditions (cost ratio 2.46; 95% CI 1.74-3.48 for moderate and 4.45; 95% CI 2.47-8.02 for severe activity limitations). The association between activity limitation and health care expenditures is stronger for reimbursed health care costs than for out-of-pocket payments.

Conclusion

In the absence of chronic conditions, activity limitations appear to be an important determinant of health care expenditures. To make projections on health care expenditures, routine data on activity limitations are essential and complementary to data on chronic conditions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1607-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.