Evaluation of the arthritis impact measurement scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
The reliability of the Finnish AIMS2 (Finn-AIMS2) questionnaire was assessed by test retest procedure and internal consistency of health-status scales. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, and convergent validity by correlation coefficients, with several disease activity and functional status variables.


RESULTS
Internal consistency was 0.79-0.89 and test retest reliability 0.72-0.97. Factor analysis identified three factors: physical, psychosocial, and pain. There were strong correlations between the Finn-AIMS2 health-status scales and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ).


CONCLUSIONS
The Finn-AIMS2 questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status in middle-aged Finnish patients with RA. The results also support the applicability of AIMS2 in comparisons in multinational studies.
Arkela-Kautiainen
M
M
Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Heinola, Finland. marja.arkela-kautiainen@medcare.inet.fi
Kauppi
M
M
Heikkilä
S
S
Kautiainen
H
H
Mälkiä
E
E
Leirisalo-Repo
M
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*