Development and Validation of the Active Aging Scale for Older Adults in Long-term Care Facilities: Applying Item Response Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop the active aging scale for older adults in long-term care facilities and evaluate its reliability and validity. In-depth interviews and focus group interviews were conducted, finally 28 items were derived. We conducted a survey of 1,039 older adults in long-term care facilities, and analyzed the data by applying factor analysis and item response theory. As a r es ult of the analysis, it was found that 2 items were misfit, and the item difficulty was lower than the person ability. A 5-point Likert was appropriate, and there were items that functioned differently by gender. The active aging scale provides an academic basis for assessing the quality of life for older adults in long-term care facilities.