The Development of Physical Functioning Scale for Community-Dwelling Older Persons.
- Author:
Yun Hwan LEE
1
;
Kyung Jong LEE
;
Geun Shik HAN
;
Soo Jin YOON
;
Yeon Kyung LEE
;
Chan Ho KIM
;
Jeong Lim KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Korea. yhlee@ajou.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Aged;
Geriatric assessment;
Measurement;
Reliability and validity
- MeSH:
Adult;
Family Characteristics;
Geriatric Assessment;
Humans;
Psychometrics;
Reproducibility of Results;
Self Care;
Weights and Measures
- From:Korean Journal of Preventive Medicine
2002;35(4):359-374
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: To develop a physical functioning instrument for older adults living in the community. METHODS: A representative sample of 979 people aged 65 years or over were interviewed in-person. Of these, 199 people also completed a detailed in-hospital examination. The scale items were selected based on the frequency of endorsement, along with the item-total and inter-item correlations. The associations of the scale with their physical performance and clinical examination were analyzed to evaluate the criterion-related validity. Construct validity was assessed using factor analysis, and internal consistency through Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlations. Test-retest reliability was measured by agreement between the household survey and the repeat survey at the in-hospital examination. RESUJLTS: Initially, 23 items on the level of difficulty, ranging from no difficulty to an inability to complete a task, with the specific mobility and self-care tasks were included. Those with a high frequency of endorsement and a low inter-item or item-total correlations were excluded, resulting in a 10-item Physical Functioning (PF) scale. Equal weights were given to each item and a summated score was calculated. Significant associations were found between the PF scores and the physical performance, survey and clinical data. The scale revealed a 2-factor (mobility and self-care) structure. Cronbach's alpha was 0.92 and the item-total correlations were in the 0.63 to 0.78 range. Pearson's correlations for the test-retest ranged between 0.56 and 0.61. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed Physical Functioning (PF) scale showed good psychometric properties in older people. Further work, however, is needed to improve its sensitivity to discriminate higher levels of functioning, in addition to assessing its predictive value in detecting changes in health.
