TY - JOUR
T1 - A harmonized measure of activities of daily living was a reliable and valid instrument for comparing disability in older people across countries
AU - Pluijm, S.M.F.
AU - Bardage, C.
AU - Nikula, S.
AU - Blumstein, T.
AU - Jylha, M.
AU - Minicuci, N.
AU - Zunzunegui, M.V.
AU - Pedersen, N.L.
AU - Deeg, D.J.H.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to construct a harmonized measure of activities of daily living (ADL) across six countries, and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this measure. METHODS: A population of 9,297 persons, aged 65-89 years, was drawn from the Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Aging (CLESA) study, which includes data from five European countries and Israel. Because the number, type, and response format of the ADL items differed across the six studies, a four-item scale was constructed to harmonize the data, using items common to most countries. A procedure was devised to substitute or construct items that were not available in two of the countries. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for the four-item ADL measure varied from 0.81 in Spain to 0.92 in Finland, and was similar to the alpha of scales including five or six items. Kappa scores between substituted or constructed items and the actual items varied from 0.50 to 0.78. In all countries, the percentage of persons with ADL disability differed significantly across age and was associated with chronic diseases, poor self-rated health, global disability, and home help utilization. CONCLUSION: The harmonized four-item ADL measure seems a reliable and valid instrument for comparing ADL disability in older people across countries
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to construct a harmonized measure of activities of daily living (ADL) across six countries, and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this measure. METHODS: A population of 9,297 persons, aged 65-89 years, was drawn from the Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Aging (CLESA) study, which includes data from five European countries and Israel. Because the number, type, and response format of the ADL items differed across the six studies, a four-item scale was constructed to harmonize the data, using items common to most countries. A procedure was devised to substitute or construct items that were not available in two of the countries. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for the four-item ADL measure varied from 0.81 in Spain to 0.92 in Finland, and was similar to the alpha of scales including five or six items. Kappa scores between substituted or constructed items and the actual items varied from 0.50 to 0.78. In all countries, the percentage of persons with ADL disability differed significantly across age and was associated with chronic diseases, poor self-rated health, global disability, and home help utilization. CONCLUSION: The harmonized four-item ADL measure seems a reliable and valid instrument for comparing ADL disability in older people across countries
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.01.017
DO - 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.01.017
M3 - Article
VL - 58
SP - 1015
EP - 1023
JO - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
JF - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
SN - 0895-4356
IS - 10
ER -
