Which measure of quality of life performs best in older age? A comparison of the OPQOL, CASP-19 and WHOQOL-OLD

Abstract

BackgroundMost measures of quality of life (QoL) are based on ‘expert’ opinions. This study describes a new measure of QoL in older age, the Older People's QoL Questionnaire (OPQOL), which is unique in being derived from the views of lay people, cross-checked against theoretical models for assessment of comprehensiveness. Its performance was assessed cross-sectionally and longitudinally. It was compared with two existing QoL measures in the cross-sectional studies in order to identify the optimal measure for use with older populations.MethodsData were taken from three surveys of older people living at home in Britain in 2007–2008: one population survey of people aged 65+, one focused enumeration survey of ethnically diverse older people aged 65+, one follow-up of a population survey of people aged 65+ at baseline in 1999/2000. Measures were QoL (using OPQOL, Control, Autonomy, Satisfaction, Pleasure - 19 items (CASP-19), World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire - version for older people (WHOQOL-OLD)), health, social and socioeconomic circumstances. The CASP-19 and WHOQOL-OLD were not administered to the longitudinal sample in order to reduce respondent burden.ResultsPsychometric tests were applied to each QoL measure. The OPQOL, CASP-19 and WHOQOL-OLD performed well with the cross-sectional samples; however, only the OPQOL met criteria for internal consistency in the Ethnibus samples.ConclusionThe OPQOL is of potential value in the outcome assessment of health and social interventions, which can have a multidimensional impact on people's lives. Further research is needed to examine whether differences by ethnicity reflect real differences in QoL, methodological issues, variations in expectations or cultural differences in reporting.

A short measure of quality of life in older age: The performance of the brief Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief)

“…Strong personal ties, community networks and communications -products of social capital -can facilitate individuals" access to emotional and socio-economic resources. Putnam (1993) (Bowling 2009;Bowling and Stenner 2011). The "bottom-up" development of this instrument is consistent with international policy emphasis on public and user involvement in shaping public policy, services, and research processes (Staniszewska …”

“…The longer version has been published and is used internationally (Bowling 2009;Bowling and Stenner 2011). A short, robust, relevant measure of older people's quality of life has long been needed in evaluative research.…”

“…The latter was previously validated on communitydwelling older populations, and ethnically diverse population samples, in Britain (Bowling 2009;Bowling and Stenner 2011). It was further tested among geriatric service out-patients in Milan, Italy, and shown to have excellent applicability to cognitively normal older people, and to be applicable to most of the people suffering from mild or moderate dementia (Bilotta et al 2010(Bilotta et al , 2011a(Bilotta et al , 2011b.…”

“…Shorter instruments, while inevitably more limited in scope and sensitivity than longer measures, have the benefits of reduced respondent and research burden and costs. The full OPQOL-35 was unique, and differs from other QoL measures, in being derived from the individual experiences of lay people, cross-checked against theoretical models for assessment of conceptual grounding and comprehensiveness, and tested psychometrically with excellent results (Bowling 2009;Bowling and Stenner 2011).…”

Management of Sarcopenia to Improve Quality of Life in Geriatric Populations

“…It covers domains of physical functioning, physical roles, bodily pain, general health mental health, emotional roles, social functioning, and vitality. Other questionnaires like European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ )-5D, 80 Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire, 81,82 World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF, 76,83 and Quality of Life Systemic Inventory Questionnaire 84 have also been applied in sarcopenia assessment. Recently, Beaudart et al 85 developed the first self-administrated quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenia in elderly subjects named the Sarcopeniaspecific Quality of Life Questionnaire, which consists of 55 sarcopenic-related items organized into seven domains of dysfunction: physical and mental health, locomotion, body composition, functionality, activities of daily living (ADLs), leisure activities, and fears.…”