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Reliability and Validity of a Steadiness Score
Author(s) -
Clark Daniel O.,
Callahan Christopher M.,
Counsell Steven R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53485.x
Subject(s) - activities of daily living , medicine , construct validity , predictive validity , gerontology , physical therapy , psychometrics , clinical psychology
Objectives: To determine the internal consistency and construct and predictive validity of three survey questions regarding steadiness in a sample of community‐dwelling lower‐income older adults. Design: A 6‐month prospective cohort study. Setting: Community‐based. Participants: Three hundred fifty‐seven older adults who completed a baseline and 6‐month follow‐up interviewer‐administered survey. These older adults received care at a single, public health system and were judged by insurance status to be of low income. Measurements: Self‐report measures of steadiness while walking and transferring; difficulty in mobility, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs); chronic illness; falls; hospitalization; and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The three steadiness questions showed good internal consistency (0.88); construct validity in Pearson correlations with mobility (0.57), ADL (0.53), and IADL scores (0.41); and predictive validity. With regard to predictive validity, steadiness was predictive of falls, hospitalization, and decline in ADL and IADL function over a subsequent 6‐month period. Conclusion: Steadiness questions are a potentially valuable addition to survey research and clinical screening to identify persons with current impairment status and falls and disability risk.