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MEA website poll for December: Change in health status over the past year

charles shepherd

Senior Member
Messages
2,239
MEA website poll for December:

Change in health status over the past year

This month's MEA website poll is asking about your overall state of health compared to this time last year

Overseas votes are welcome in this poll

Vote on the home page (middle column) of the MEA website:

http://www.meassociation.org.uk
Current voting:
Overall, how is your state of health and disability compared to this time last year?
Recovered (0%, 0 Votes)
Almost recovered (0%, 0 Votes)
Much better (0%, 0 Votes)
A bit better (0%, 0 Votes)
Much the same (55%, 6 Votes)
A bit worse (27%, 3 Votes)
Much worse (18%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 11
 
Last edited:

worldbackwards

Senior Member
Messages
2,051
iu
 

charles shepherd

Senior Member
Messages
2,239
I agree!
Plus, what are the options for 'balancing' it out - nearly dead and ???
I think that it covers most eventualities - I put a bit worse... which is true but depressing to acknowledge.

We have to keep the answers very short in these MEA website polls due to the tool that we use

I produced what I thought was a list of simple short options that cover the whole range of health status

There is no intention to try and produce a result that favours any one direction

If there is a clear simple further answer that needs inserting into the 'getting worse' section then we can consider inserting it

But I feel quite happy with the Q and A as it is

CS
 

charles shepherd

Senior Member
Messages
2,239

  • Current status - Again, overseas votes are welcome:

    Overall, how is your state of health and disability compared to this time last year?
    • Recovered (2%, 1 Votes)

    • Almost recovered (0%, 0 Votes)

    • Much better (2%, 1 Votes)

    • A bit better (11%, 6 Votes)

    • Much the same (23%, 13 Votes)

    • A bit worse (39%, 22 Votes)

    • Much worse (23%, 13 Votes)


      Total Voters: 56
 

duncan

Senior Member
Messages
2,240
Given that everyone's clearly getting worse and no one's getting better, I'd say it isn't making too much difference.

Practically speaking, you are likely correct. Potentially, however, a bias is introduced. To avoid the potential, perhaps it should be balanced. But it's not my call, and I could be wrong.

Edited to add: What does "almost recovered" mean, and how does one differentiate it from "much better"? More importantly, what value-add does it provide? If it has to do with granularity, then I'd again suggest another qualifier - whatever that might be - on the other side of "much the same", by virtue of the same argument.
 
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purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
Practically speaking, you are likely correct. Potentially, however, a bias is introduced. To avoid the potential, perhaps it should be balanced. But it's not my call, and I could be wrong.

Edited to add: What does "almost recovered" mean, and how does one differentiate it from "much better"? More importantly, what value-add does it provide? If it has to do with granularity, then I'd again suggest another qualifier - whatever that might be - on the other side of "much the same", by virtue of the same argument.
I would interpret the categories with reference to those CFS scales out of 100. If you were at 30 last year and are now a 50+, that would represent a great improvement but could still be far from "almost recovered". If one was already starting at 50+, then the almost recovered and much better categories could overlap.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Practically speaking, you are likely correct. Potentially, however, a bias is introduced. To avoid the potential, perhaps it should be balanced. But it's not my call, and I could be wrong.

Edited to add: What does "almost recovered" mean, and how does one differentiate it from "much better"? More importantly, what value-add does it provide? If it has to do with granularity, then I'd again suggest another qualifier - whatever that might be - on the other side of "much the same", by virtue of the same argument.

how are you meant to balance out that poll more though.. have dead for a selection for those of us to type who have died and been buried, to balance out the recovered.

I think its a good poll with all the different options represented in it.

Interesting results though so far and not what I expected . I too have worsened a little in past year. (id thought most would put the same or a little better).
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Edited to add: What does "almost recovered" mean, and how does one differentiate it from "much better"?

For myself almost recovered I'd take it to mean someone who has been able to go back to work full time but has to spend weekends resting so they can go back to work again in the coming week or someone who is back working part time.

much better would be a big improvement in my ME/CFS status.. eg a jump from 30% to 50% or 60% I'd call a big improvement. Still not able to work but a big improvement
 
Messages
2,158
Given that it's a poll which will give an indication of the direction of many people's illness, I think it's fine, and the result should be interesting.

It's not meant to be a scientific study. For that there would have to be a proper sampling method and a more complex measure, for example asking people at two time points a year apart where they were on a valid scale, or even to wear an actometer for a year to demonstrate how their activity levels change.

The poll could possibly provide the impetus for someone to do such a study...

And the poll might provide ammunition to challenge the idea I'm sure I've come across in reading about ME that suggests most patients gradually improve over time.