PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE EUROHIS-QOL (WHO-8) – MALAY VERSION IN PEOPLE WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Although a number of quality of life (QoL) measures have been developed for assessing QoL in older adults, few have been validated in developing countries. This study aimed to examined the construct validity and reliability of the EUROHIS-QOL (WHO-8) assessment in people with cognitive impairment in Malaysia. Methods: A cross sectional, quasi experimental study design involving people with cognitive impairment was employed. Two groups of people with cognitive impairment from government nursing homes (n=110) and community home care (n=109) were recruited. Measurements used in the study included; the EUROHIS-QOL (WHO-8), the Short Mini Mental State Examination (SMMSE), the Barthel Index (BI) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure with loadings ranged from 0.59 to 0.88. The ordinal α value for the WHO-8 was 0.88. Confirmatory factor analysis showed better fit indices for two factors model. The WHO-8 demonstrates large correlation with cognitive impairment (SMMSE r=0.44; p 0.01), physical functions (BI r=0.44; p 0.01) and depression (CSDD r=-0.44; p 0.01). Conclusion: The WHO-8 has a satisfactory construct validity and reliability and hence an adequate tool to measure QoL in people with cognitive impairment in Malaysia