Grant: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Gender, Sex and Health

We propose to conduct a discussion workshop with the main objective of initiating collaborative research between Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Canada on gender differences in lower body mobility limitations and its implications for research and clinical practice. The workshop will take place in Montreal in August 2009 and will welcome researchers and clinicians. The specific objectives include: 1) To identify gaps of information on mobility limitations in adult men and women 2) To discuss comparative analysis of mobility limitations in Canadian and international databases integrating the use of vignettes to correct for perception bias in self reported mobility and 3) To initiate the design of research protocols and search for funding in two possible areas: a) Determinants of lower body mobility limitations that could explain the gender differences in mobility at different stages of the life-course; and b) Disability and secondary conditions that could be prevented through adequate physical and social environment and services to populations with lower body mobility limitations. We will discuss the WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health as a possible framework to guide our research. Through this workshop, we expect to develop a working plan on areas of research that could have applicability to the three settings (low, middle and high income countries). Mobility limitation is an area of research that has global relevance, but it has rarely been the subject of research in developing countries. The potential growth of this research network is therefore high. This workshop can initiate across country knowledge transfer and promote internal transfer between research/care institutions that are at different stages of development.