Self-maintenance habits and preferences in elderly (SHAPE): reliability of reports of self-care preferences in older persons

Background and aims: Self-care preferences can be used in designing programs of care. Yet little has been documented concerning the self-care habits and preferences of older adults. Methods: This study assessed the reliability of reports of self-care preferences and their importance among older adults using the Self-maintenance Habits and Preferences in Elderly (SHAPE) instrument. Twenty community-dwelling seniors completed the SHAPE questionnaire twice within a one-to two-week interval. Percent agreement, both exact and close/partial, was computed to assess the reliability of preference content, and intra-class correlations (ICCs) were used for preference importance. Test and subject factors affecting reliability were also investigated. Results: Exact agreement rate for item content was 73%, and that for close/partial agreement was 93%. Mean ICC for item importance was 0.72. Reliability was greater for dichotomous items than for either ordinal or categorical questions. Reliability of item content varied with number of response options and importance reliability varied with age and IADL status. Conclusions: Information from SHAPE about self-care preferences can be used to plan services for seniors and to individualize care for older persons, especially those transitioning to new living environments or those receiving home care.