Construct and criterion validity of a Norwegian instrument for health related quality of life among elderly women living at home

Purpose of the study: The aim of the current study is to validate an instrument consisting of five items and first used in the Nord-Trondelag Health Survey (HUNT-5), as a measure of health related quality of life (QOL) in a population of elderly women living at home. Design and methods: A random sample of 307 women aged 75 years and over (mean 80.8 years, response rate 74.5%) and living at home were interviewed using the HUNT-5 instrument, the 20-question version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) and the respondents' records of their health status and functional ability. Results: No significant relationships were found between age and the sumscores of GHQ-20 and HUNT-5. Factor analysis indicated that HUNT-5 is primarily unidimensional. The Cronbach alpha for HUNT-5 was 0.79 and that for GHQ-20 was 0.87. The correlation between the HUNT-5 and the GHQ-20 sumscores was 0.75 (p < 0.001). There were significant correlations between some of the health and function items and the two QOL instruments (ranging from 0.14 to 0.68). Implications: This evaluation supports the psychometric validity of HUNT-5 for elderly women living at home. It is important to take into consideration the women's own experience of their health and functional ability in planning therapy and in obtaining the best possible QOL for them.