Table 1.
Physical and Mental Fatigue (PF/MF) Item Pool
| ItemID | Item Stem and Item Content | |
|---|---|---|
| Health | During the past 4 weeks did you experience each of the following? If so, how much physical & mental fatigue did each cause you? | |
| PF&MF | Hlth1 | Sleep problems |
| PF&MF | Hlth2 | Pain |
| PF&MF | Hlth3 | Indigestion problems |
| PF&MF | Hlth4 | Dehydration problems |
| PF&MF | Hlth5 | Poor posture |
| PF&MF | Hlth6 | Spasticity |
| PF&MF | Hlth7 | Stress |
| PF&MF | Hlth8 | Medication side-effects |
| Home environment | During the past 4 weeks did you experience each of the following? If so, how much physical & mental fatigue did each cause you? | |
| PF&MF | Envr1 | Lack of peace and quiet |
| PF&MF | Envr2 | Inadequately adapted home |
| PF&MF | Envr3 | Inadequate medical care when at home |
| PF&MF | Envr4 | Inadequate non-medical care when at home |
| Activities at home | During the past 4 weeks did you experience each of the following? If so, how much physical & mental fatigue did each cause you? | |
| PF&MF | Home1 | Wheelchair transfer to and from bed |
| PF&MF | Home2 | Sitting in a wheelchair for an hour or more |
| PF&MF | Home3 | Concentrating for an hour or more (such as reading, writing, or holding a conversation) |
| PF&MF | Home4 | Using a computer for an hour or more |
| PF&MF | Home5 | Wheelchair use around the home |
| PF&MF | Home6 | Spending all day in your wheelchair |
| PF&MF | Home7 | Pressure management (preventing pressure sores) |
| PF&MF | Home8 | Posture management |
| PF&MF | Home9 | Household chores, such as cleaning and tidying |
| PF&MF | Home10 | Preparing and clearing away a meal |
| PF&MF | Home11 | Eating a meal |
| PF&MF | Home12 | Letter-writing, form filling or paying bills |
| Activities away from home | During the past 4 weeks did you experience each of the following? If so, how much physical & mental fatigue did each cause you? | |
| PF&MF | Away1 | Wheelchair use over a smooth surface |
| PF&MF | Away2 | Wheelchair use over an uneven surface |
| PF&MF | Away3 | Wheelchair transfer to and from car |
| PF&MF | Away4 | Traveling in your vehicle for an hour or more |
| PF&MF | Away5 | Using an adapted taxi |
| PF&MF | Away6 | Using a bus |
| PF&MF | Away7 | Using a train |
| PF&MF | Away8 | Receiving a session of physiotherapy |
| PF&MF | Away9 | Going to a doctor's appointment |
| PF&MF | Away10 | Shopping, such as having access and reaching merchandise |
| PF&MF | Away11 | Going out to a restaurant |
| PF&MF | Away12 | Attending an event, such as cinema, theater, or a show |
| PF&MF | Away13 | Visiting friends |
| PF&MF | Away14 | Attending a sporting event |
| PF&MF | Away15 | Taking a day trip away from home |
| PF&MF | Away16 | Taking an overnight trip away from home |
| PF&MF | Away17 | Taking a vacation away from home |
Abbreviations: Physical Fatigue (PF); Mental Fatigue (MF). These 41 items were presented separately for the physical fatigue and the mental fatigue scales, hence 82 total item count. The answer range was: No Fatigue (0), Mild Fatigue (1); Moderate Fatigue (2), Extreme Fatigue (3); Did not have or Did not do this (99). However, due to sparse distributions, the “Did not have or Did not do this” category was collapsed into “Mild fatigue” (based on Duncan Multiple Range Test results) in order to have no cell with <5% of the data (23 participants). For all these items, higher scores mean higher vulnerability to physical and mental fatigue respectively.