Development of Korean version of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II-K) in Community Dwelling Elders / 신경정신의학

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop the Korean version of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II-K) with community dwelling elderly population. METHODS: The WHODAS II-K was administered to 1204 community residents aged 65 or over in two areas of Kwangju, South Korea, in 2001. For assessing 'health condition', data on physical illness, depression (Korean version of Geriatric Mental State Schedule B3), and cognitive dysfunction (Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination) were collected. For evaluating 'contextual factors', informations on demographic characteristics (age, gender, living area, marital state, and religiou), socioeconomic status (education, type of accommodation, number of room, previous occupation, and current employment), and social network were obtained. RESULTS: WHODAS II-K showed high levels of internal consistency, split-half reliability, and inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities. In the correlation analyses, scores on the WHODAS II-K were significantly correlated with the unfavorable conditions in the all variables on health condition and contextual factors. Partial correlations of scores on the WHODAS II-K with health condition were significant even after controlling for contextual factors. CONCLUSION: The WHODAS II-K is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing disability in elderly population since it reflects physical illness, depression, and cognitive impairment, which are common in elderly.