ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Voice disorder is recognized as a major problem because it negatively affects the elderly's social participation and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of Korean aging voice index (KAVI), which assesses the quality of life related to the voice of the elderly. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This study was conducted on 211 elderly people aged 65 years or older : 111 patients with voice disorder (mean age 69.8, range 65–80 years) and 100 nomorphonic participants (mean age 70.6, range 65–82 years). Aging voice index was translated into Korean and used and Korean voice-related quality of life (KVQOL) was conducted to verify KAVI. The validity (item validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity) and reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency reliability) of KAVI. RESULTS: The item validity (ICC=0.895) and construct validity (r=0.765) showed a high correlation, respectively. And concurrent validity (r=0.748), test-retest reliability (0.851), and internal consistency reliability (α=0.832) were statistically significant in voice disorder group. In addition, there was a significant difference between the voice disorder and the nomorphonic group in AVI total score. CONCLUSION: KAVI is a validated and reliable quality of life tool that will be useful for assessing the presence and effectiveness of interventions in clinical settings.