The development of a scale for social participation among community-dwelling frail older adults: a preliminary survey.

AIM: The aim of our study was to draft a scale measuring the social participation of community-dwelling frail older adults.

METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 37 items was prepared based on the findings of previous studies. We recruited community-dwelling older adults ≥65 years of age living in Mitaka City, Tokyo. The inclusion criteria were as follows: native speakers of Japanese; not being covered as support and care level; support level 1; support level 2; care level 1; and care level 2. In total, 328 individuals were investigated. The selected individuals were categorized into the following six groups, according to a Japanese frailty scale and the Japanese Long-term Care Insurance System: non-frail, frail and at high-risk of requiring long-term care, support level 1, support level 2, care level 1, and care level 2. We then randomly selected individuals adjusted for age and gender in each group. The Rasch model was used to select items and to examine the validity. Cronbach's α was calculated to examine reliability.

RESULTS: We analyzed 170 subjects. Of the 37 items, 22 were considered based on the Rasch model for inclusion in a draft scale of social participation. The Cronbach's α for these items ranged from 0.86-0.87.

CONCLUSIONS: We conducted a preliminary survey to develop a scale describing social participation among community-dwelling frail older adults. The construct validity and reliability were adequate for this scale. Based on the findings of this preliminary survey, we will investigate a larger sample size to enhance the scale.