title: A simplified index of physical health for use in epidemiological studies.
abstract: A battery of simple questions designed to measure physical health, in terms of ability to perform physical activities, was appraised in 1839 men and women aged greater than or equal to 50 years in a community survey in Jerusalem. The number of "Yes" answers to six questions, five of which could be skipped if the first one was answered positively, was found to be a satisfactory index, with a high degree of consistency-reliability in the total sample (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.97) and in subgroups categorized by sex, age, education, or father's region of birth. The index constituted an excellent Guttman scale (coefficient of reproducibility = 0.96, coefficient of scalability = 0.94), indicating that the score serves both as a measure of physical health and as an indication of the profile of capabilities. Associations with age and other variables conformed with expectations, attesting the construct validity of the index.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gofin
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kark
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion; D010809:Physical Fitness