In 1988, an aging studies program was established at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop public health approaches for addressing the health needs of the aging U.S. population. An early CDC priority was to develop and validate a set of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures that could be used to track the health of older adults as well as serve as outcome measures for assessing the effects of public health and social service programs. Beginning in 1993, four HRQOL measures asking about self-rated health and recent days of impaired physical health, mental health, and activity limitation were included in all interviews of the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). In 1993, about 24,000 adults aged 60 years and older responded to these questions; in1999, there were 37,000 older adult respondents. In 1999, 26.7% of these older adults reported fair or poor self-rated health and--when asked about their health perceptions for the 30-day period prior to the survey--reported an average of 5.1 days when their physical health was not good, 2 days when their mental health was not good, and 2.6 days when their usual activities were limited. In Georgia, these HRQOL surveillance data are now being used as a means of identifying health-related needs and disparities among older adults, as a potential criterion for allocating aging program resources among state regions, and as a focus for discussion among several collaborating state agencies on strategies for improving the HRQOL of older adults. See www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/hrqol
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to: 1) Identify and describe the adult health-related quality of life measures which all states have been tracking since 1993. 2) Describe the principal benefits of HRQOL surveillance for public health and aging services programs.
Keywords: Surveillance, Quality of Life
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Health Care and Aging Studies Branch
Division of Adult and Community Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.