Premium
Measuring quality of life in older people: Reliability and validity of WHOQOL‐OLD
Author(s) -
Peel Nancye M,
Bartlett Helen P,
Marshall Alison L
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2007.00249.x
Subject(s) - quality of life (healthcare) , reliability (semiconductor) , gerontology , psychological intervention , older people , test (biology) , medicine , measure (data warehouse) , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , nursing , database , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , biology
Objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently developed a generic Quality of Life (QOL) measure, the WHOQOL‐OLD, specifically for use with older adults. This pilot study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the new measure to determine its suitability for evaluating outcomes of healthy ageing interventions.Methods: A random sample of 100 participants aged 65 years and older, selected from a database of community research volunteers, was invited to complete a mailed questionnaire administered at two time points. The questionnaire included the WHOQOL‐OLD, a generic health‐related QOL measure, the SF‐12, as well as psychological and physical well‐being measures and demographic data.Results and conclusion: Overall, the WHOQOL‐OLD demonstrated good performance on tests of reliability and validity and had features that made it a more suitable outcome measure of QOL in older people compared with the frequently used measure, the SF‐12.