Article
Perception of disability in a public health perspective: a model based on fuzzy logic
Registro en:
COSTA, Antonio José Leal et al. Perception of disability in a public health
perspective: a model based on fuzzy logic. International Journal of Medical Informatics, v. 73, 647-656, 2004.
1386-5056
10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2004.04.010
1872-8243
Autor
Costa, A. J. L.
Massad, E.
Ortega, N.
Araújo, A. Q. C.
Resumen
Measures of functional levels, commonly used to assess the safety and quality of life of individuals and populations, have not yet been derived from a fuzzy framework. The aim of this study is to estimate the degree of disability associated with varying functional levels, through a model based on fuzzy sets theory. A fuzzy
linguistic model was developed to measure varying levels of functional disability, in accordance with the definitions of an individual’s social and physical activities and mobility. One year of an adult’s life whose mobility, social and physical activities were somewhat limited, was judged to be equivalent to 0.575 years free of functional disability. Results obtained from the fuzzy model approach those obtained with the quality of well-being scale (QWB), used as a conceptual framework. Such findings are encouraging, since the QWB is considered a consistent and valid approach for disability assessment and quality-of-life evaluation.