Measuring well‐being in older adults: Identifying an appropriate single‐item questionnaire

Abstract

As the older adult population increases globally, it is important for local governments to measure their health and well-being consistently to effectively support this group. Because definitions of subjective well-beingsuch as happiness, life satisfaction and subjective healthoverlap, it is worth considering which single-item indicator local governments can rely on to measure individual well-being. This study, therefore, explored the correlation between three single-item questionnaires on happiness, life satisfaction and subjective health used in government surveys, and established psychometric scales of happiness, life satisfaction and quality of life, and analyzed which of the three single-item indicators most effectively captured the target well-being.Methods: Randomly selected people aged ≥65 years in urban and rural areas (n = 1440) answered the questions on the Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Quality of Life scale, and the three single-item questionnaires (happiness, life satisfaction and subjective health). We analyzed the data using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Results:The results showed a high positive correlation between the scales and the singleitem questionnaires. The single-item life satisfaction and subjective health questionnaires were significantly correlated with all the three scales. Although there was not much difference in the adjusted R 2 values between putting three items jointly and separately, the value of single-item life satisfaction was the best and the subjective health was the second best. Conclusion:The results showed that the single-item life satisfaction and subjective health effectively captured the target well-being; these could be the appropriate indicators for a potential optimal index.

The Impact of Mental Health and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction during the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Results of a Population-Based Survey in Germany

“…As described in the introduction, the subjective evaluation of the person is the central component, therefore enabling use in more economical ways. Therefore, single-item questionnaires seem to be equal but more efficient [ 45 ]. Last, the study uses a cross-sectional design, and thus no causality can be inferred, and replication of our findings within longitudinal designs would help to elucidate directionality of findings.…”

Factors related to a sense of security with medical and long‐term care services among community‐dwelling middle‐aged and older adults in Japan

“…This study was performed as part of a larger interprofessional collaboration for enhancing happiness and life satisfaction in community-dwelling people. 14 A cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire was sent to 2400 men and women aged ≥40 years in two cities in Japan. City A had a population of 374 468, a population density of 10 579.9 people/km 2 , and an aging rate of 22.9%.…”

Commentary on: Home-based telerehabilitation for community-dwelling persons with stroke during the Covid-19 pandemic: a pilot study”

“…The scale was reported to have good temporal stability and validity, but in a large cohort of students and government employees ( 13 ). Nevertheless, there was a study that specifically involved community-dwelling older adults with various diseases, including stroke, that closely looked into such single-item well-being measures, which resulted in significant correlations with happiness, life satisfaction, and quality-of-life scores ( 14 ).…”