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How Reliable are Selected Scales from Population-based Health Surveys? An Analysis Among Seniors

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Abstract

The objective of the study was to assess the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of selected scales from four national and provincial surveys used to study the health status of community-dwelling seniors. Items on physical impairment, psychological well-being, activities of daily living, chronic health problems, social support, and stressful life events were selected from these surveys and administered in a group of 1,054 seniors, aged 65 and over, living in Wellington County, Ontario. Each scale exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.70) except for the stressful life events and social support scales. The intra-class coefficients (ρ) for all scales were > 0.80. In addition, almost all single items measures used in this study also exhibited high test-retest reliability (kappa > 0.80) except for measures of perceived health status (kappa = 0.69) and availability of help in crisis situation (kappa = 0.48).

Résumé

l’étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer la cohérence interne et la fiabilité test-retest d’échelles sélectionnées dans quatre enquêtes nationales et provinciales visant à étudier l’état de santé de personnes âgées vivant en communauté. Des éléments relatifs aux handicaps physiques, au bien-être psychologique, aux activités quotidiennes, aux problèmes de santé chroniques, au soutien social, et aux événements stressants ont été sélectionnés dans ces enquêtes et administrés à 1 054 personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus, vivant dans le comté de Wellington en Ontario. Chaque échelle a montré une cohérence interne élevée (alpha de Cronbach ≥ 0,70) sauf dans le cas des échelles relatives aux événements stressants et au soutien social. Les coefficients intra-classe (ρ) pour toutes les échelles étaient supérieurs à 0,80. En outre, pratiquement toutes les mesures relatives à des éléments uniques utilisées dans cette étude affichaient une fiabilité test-retest élevée (kappa > 0,80) à l’exception des mesures de la perception de l’état de santé (kappa = 0,69) et de la disponibilité d’aide en cas de crise (kappa = 0,48).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Parminder Raina PhD (Assistant Professor), Brenda Bonnett PhD & David Waltner-Toews PhD

  2. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Christel Woodward PhD & Tom Abernathy PhD

  3. Central West Health Planning Information Network, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Tom Abernathy PhD

Authors
  1. Parminder Raina PhD
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  2. Brenda Bonnett PhD
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  3. David Waltner-Toews PhD
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  4. Christel Woodward PhD
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  5. Tom Abernathy PhD
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Correspondence to Parminder Raina PhD.

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Raina, P., Bonnett, B., Waltner-Toews, D. et al. How Reliable are Selected Scales from Population-based Health Surveys? An Analysis Among Seniors. Can J Public Health 90, 60–64 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404102

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404102

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