PERFORMS Study

Psychometric Evaluation of the Reliability of Functional Outcome MeasureS in people with obesity

Adults who are overweight or living with obesity have an increased risk of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and every day physical tasks can be harder to perform. We call this ‘impaired physical function’. Adults living with obesity can have similar physical function and strength levels to a person of healthy weight who is 10-20 years older. Having other problems, like diabetes, may make physical function worse. Certain interventions, such as exercise or diet, might help to improve physical function.

There are many ways to measure physical function, including timed walking tests, balance tests, and tasks that require muscle activity (e.g., sitting and standing from a chair) repeated as many times as possible within a set time. One benefit of these tests is that they can be performed in everyday settings without expensive equipment (such as at a healthcare appointment), allowing GPs and other healthcare providers to use them.

Currently, we do not know which physical function tests work best in people who are overweight or living with obesity, who also have low muscle strength. We also do not know how having diabetes may impact physical function and strength in this population. We want to measure lots of different physical function tests, to find out which tests:

·        Give us the best understanding of physical function, when compared to more expensive, complicated tests from a research centre;

·        Will give similar results if performed more than once in a short time period;

·        Can be performed safely by people who are overweight or living with obesity.

This study will help doctors and researchers understand how well different treatments are working for people in these groups, so they can choose the best approach for each person and keep a closer watch on any changes in physical health over time.

Contact

Email: PERFORMSstudy@leicester.ac.uk