A short measure of quality of life in older age: the performance of the brief Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief)
Ann Bowling, Matthew Hankins, Gill Windle, Claudio Bilotta, Robert Grant, Ann Bowling, Matthew Hankins, Gill Windle, Claudio Bilotta, Robert Grant
Abstract
Promoting quality of life in older age is an internationally recognized priority, requiring valid measurement. We present a short version of the established Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief). The full OPQOL-35 was original in being developed from the perspectives of older people, assessed conceptually, and validated with a population sample using gold-standard psychometric assessment. The OPQOL-brief was also developed by asking older people to prioritize the most important items from the OPQOL-35, next assessed psychometrically with a population sample, and also statistically against the discarded 22 items. The aim was to assess the psychometric properties of the short, 13-item version of the OPQOL (OPQOL-brief), and to compare the performance of included and discarded items. The method was a national population survey of people aged 65+ living at home. The measures were OPQOL-brief, WHOQOL-QOL and CASP-19. The OPQOL-brief was found to be a highly reliable and valid, short measure of quality of life in older age. The OPQOL-brief is of value in assessment of interventions where a rigorously tested, short measure is required. The grounded development of the instrument is consistent with international policy emphasis on user involvement in shaping policy and research.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Source: PubMed