Armin Stucki1; Peter Daansen2; Michaela Fuessl3; Alarcos Cieza4; Erika Huber5; Richard Atkinson6; Nenad Kostanjsek7; Gerold Stucki3; Jörg Ruof3Volume 36, Supplement 44, Supplement 44/August 2004, pp. 107-113(7)
1: Department of Internal Medicine University Hospital Bern Switzerland 2: Department of Eating Disorder and Obesity Parnassia Psychomedical Centre The Hague The Netherlands 3: Division of Rheumatology Hannover Medical School Germany 4: ICF Research Branch, WHO FIC Collaborating Center (DIMDI), IMBK Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Germany 5: Swiss Association of Physiotherapy Sursee Switzerland 6: Obesity Institute, MedStar Research Institute Washington DC USA 7: Classification, Assessment, Surveys and Terminology Team World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
DOI: 10.1080/16501960410016064
Objective: To report on the results of the consensus process integrating evidence from preliminary studies to develop the first version of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set and the Brief ICF Core Set for obesity.
Methods: A formal decision-making and consensus process integrating evidence gathered from preliminary studies was followed. Preliminary studies included a Delphi exercise, a systematic review and an empirical data collection. After training in the ICF and based on these preliminary studies relevant ICF categories were identified in a formal consensus process by international experts from different backgrounds.
Results: The preliminary studies identified a set of 219 ICF categories at the second, third and fourth ICF levels with 87 categories on body functions , 34 on body structures , 53 on activities and participation and 45 on environmental factors . Twenty-one experts attended the consensus conference on obesity (18 physicians with various sub-specializations and 3 physical therapists). Altogether 109 categories (108 second-level and one third-level categories) were included in the Comprehensive ICF Core Set with 30 categories from the component body functions , 18 from body structures , 28 from activities and participation and 33 from environmental factors . The Brief ICF Core Set included a total of 9 second-level categories with 3 on body functions , 4 on activities and participation and 2 on environmental factors . No body-structures categories were included in the Brief ICF Core Set.
Conclusion: A formal consensus process integrating evidence and expert opinion based on the ICF framework and classification led to the definition of ICF Core Sets for obesity. Both the Comprehensive ICF Core Set and the Brief ICF Core Set were defined.
