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Functional Activities Questionnaire, Czech Version –  a Validation Study

Authors: O. Bezdíček, J. Lukavský,  M. Preiss
Authors - sphere of activity: ¹Centrum klinických neurověd, Neurologická klinika 1. LF UK  a VFN v Praze ²Psychologický ústav AV ČR, Praha ³Psychiatrické centrum Praha
Article: Cesk Slov Neurol N 2011; 74/107(1): 36-42
Category: Original Paper
Number of articles displayed: 720x

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Summary

Objective:
This article describes the psychometric properties of Pfeffer’s Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), in its Czech version, for measurement of the activities of daily living (ADL) in older persons without cognitive impairment.

Methods:
Pfeffer’s Functional Activities Questionnaire and the neuropsychological battery were administered to 136 older persons (test) at baseline (self-report). Eighty-two of these older persons were followed at 6-month intervals (retest) and they were also evaluated by their caregivers (informant report).

Results:
Neither age (self-report: r = 0.06; p = 0.50; informant report: r = 0.07; p = 0.57) nor education (self-report: r = 0.12; p = 0.18; informant report: r = –0.09; p = 0.49) had a significant influence on the FAQ results. Gender was statistically significant (self-report):  t(35.33) = 2.848; p <0.01; informant report: t(18.13) = 2.332; p <0.05. The relation of FAQ to performance in the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) was not significant. There is a statistically significant relation between FAQ and the neuropsychological battery (particularly auditory verbal learning test (AVLT) and shopping list, but with low correlations). Between FAQ test and retest after a 6-month interval, a statistically significant difference (t(81) = –1.356; p = 0.18) emerged. The difference between self report and informant report was also statistically significant (t(63) = 3.274; p <0.01). Test-retest reliability of the FAQ scale between the first measurement and 6-month retest was r = 0.56, p <0.001. Correlation between self-report and informant report was r = 0.64, p <0.001. Internal consistency in test-retest and informant report was 0.62; 0.79; 0.46 (based on Cronbach’s α).

Conclusions:
These findings indicate that FAQ is a valid and reliable instrument for the measurement of ADL in older persons without cognitive impairment. It is appropriate for the evaluation of functional deficit in older persons at possible risk of developing neurodegenerative disease.

Key words:
questionnaire – validity – activities of daily living – Alzheimer‘s disease