Field-testing of the rapid assessment of disability questionnaire

Abstract

BackgroundThe Rapid Assessment of Disability (RAD) questionnaire measures the magnitude and impact of disability and aims to inform the design of disability inclusive development programs. This paper reports the psychometric evaluation of the RAD.MethodsThe initial version of the RAD comprised five sections: 1) demographics, 2) functioning, 3) rights awareness, 4) well-being, and 5) access to the community. Item functioning and construct validity were assessed in a population-based study in Bangladesh. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (sections 2 and 5) and Rasch modelling (sections 3 and 4). A subsequent case–control study in Fiji tested the refined questionnaire in a cross-cultural setting and assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the RAD section 2 to identify people with disability.Results2,057 adults took part in the study (1,855 in Bangladesh and 202 in Fiji). The prevalence of disability estimated using RAD section 2 in Bangladesh was 10.5% (95% CI 8.8-12.2), with satisfactory sensitivity and specificity (62.4% and 81.2%, respectively). Section 3 exhibited multidimensionality and poor differentiation between levels of rights awareness in both Bangladesh (person separation index [PSI] = 0.71) and Fiji (PSI = 0.0), and was unable to distinguish between people with and without disability (Bangladesh p = 0.786, Fiji p = 0.403). This section was subsequently removed from the questionnaire pending re-development. Section 4 had good ability to differentiate between levels of well-being (PSI = 0.82). In both countries, people with disability had significantly worse well-being scores than people without disability (p < 0.001) and also access to all sectors of community except legal assistance, drinking water and toilets (p < 0.001).ConclusionsFiled-testing in Bangladesh and Fiji confirmed the psychometric robustness of functioning, well-being, and community access sections of the RAD. Information from the questionnaire can be used to inform and evaluate disability inclusive development programs.

Access to Services and Barriers faced by People with Disabilities: A Quantitative Survey

“…It was developed to identify people at risk of disability in terms of activity limitations put his in parentheses, and to determine wellbeing and participation in the community for people with disabilities compared to those without disabilities disabilities, and to ascertain associated barriers to participation posed by contextual factors (Marella et al, 2014). The RAD survey was validated in Bangladesh and Fiji (Marella et al, 2014) and was used in different contexts in the Philippines , Fiji (Nossal Institute for Global Health, October 2015) and India (Ramachandra et al, 2016). Previous studies using the RAD survey have produced similar estimates of prevalence to those produced by the Washington Group questionnaire (Marella et al, 2014;Marella et al, 2016).…”

“…The RAD survey was validated in Bangladesh and Fiji (Marella et al, 2014) and was used in different contexts in the Philippines , Fiji (Nossal Institute for Global Health, October 2015) and India (Ramachandra et al, 2016). Previous studies using the RAD survey have produced similar estimates of prevalence to those produced by the Washington Group questionnaire (Marella et al, 2014;Marella et al, 2016). The RAD survey allows aid agencies, non-government organizations and governments to rapidly measure disability in a population and to understand barriers to participation across a range of life domains.…”

“…The individual questionnaire was given to one adult in each house and consisted of four sections (Marella et al, 2014):…”

“…In response, the Rapid Assessment of Disability (RAD) survey (Marella et al, 2014) that measures different domains of disability described in the International Classification of Functioning and Disability (ICF) framework (World Health Organization, 2017) -was undertaken in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. The Community Health Global Network (CHGN) Uttarakhand Cluster implemented this survey with the aims of estimating disability prevalence, determining associated socio-demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, socio-economic status), and comparing participation and access in the community between people with and without disability (Grills et al, 2012).…”

Development and Validation of the Short Crohnʼs Disease Work Disability Questionnaire

“…To address this situation without losing information and validity, we attempted to simplify the previously reported CDWDQ. We used the well-validated Rasch model, that has previously been used to reduce other questionnaires [28][29][30] and in inflammatory bowel disease as well. 19 Measuring work disability is increasingly considered an important feature in CD.…”