Abstract: Objective To investigate the principal indicators of self-care ability in activities of daily living for the persons with physical disability. Methods Persons with physical disability were asked to select the top 3 items out of 27 items of activities of daily living in 3 levels. Results A total of 1960 questionnaires were send out, and 1862 were returned. For all the subjects, the items related with personal hygiene, such as toileting, self-cleaning and bathing, were selected 899 times (16.1%). The items related with personal health, as visiting community clinics and community exercising, were selected 570 times (10.2%). The items related with social interaction, as making a telephone and chatting, were selected 500 times (9.0%). For the persons with physical disability of first grade, the major items most selected were eating, entertaining, self-cleaning and transferring; and self-cleaning and housework for those of second grade; self-cleaning, community activities and housework for those of third grade; and community and interaction for those of fourth grade. Conclusion The persons with physical disability mostly focused on the activities related with personal hygiene, health and social interaction, and varied with the severity of disability, from self-cleaning to housework and social participation.

Key words: activities of daily living, self-care, assessment, physical disability, investigation