Validity and Test-retest Reliability of perceived Wellness Survey among Geriatric Population: A Community-based Study from North Eastern India

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Chronic illness and functional decline threaten elderly well-being. “Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS),” which measures psychosocial, physical, and intellectual well-being, may be appropriate for assessing the wellness of the geriatric population. This work has been planned to find out the validity and test-retest reliability of a PWS as a wellness-measuring tool for community-based elderly people. Materials and methods: This observational study was undertaken in the community was undertaken to assess PWS in 60 elderly individuals (?65 years). The validity of PWS was tested using Pearson product-moment correlation test. For test-retest reliability, the internal consistency of PWS was tested by Cronbach’s alpha test. Result: Around 60 individuals ?65 years (mean 69.45 ± 4.27 years), 48 males were selected by convenient sampling. Pearson’s correlation showed psychological, emotional, and physical subscale scores had a very strong positive relationship (0.734, 0.703, and 0.722, respectively) with a composite score of PWS score. Spiritual, intellectual, and social subscales showed a strong positive relationship with the composite PWS score. Test-retest variability between observations for subscales was ?0.8, which showed good reliability, except for the physical subscale, which showed unacceptable reliability. Conclusion: Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) is an effective, feasible, highly reliable, and valid measure as a clinical assessment tool for assessing wellness in the elderly population.