Measurement issues in health disparities research.
BACKGROUND
Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care have been documented; the elimination of such disparities is currently part of a national agenda. In order to meet this national objective, it is necessary that measures identify accurately the true prevalence of the construct of interest across diverse groups. Measurement error might lead to biased results, e.g., estimates of prevalence, magnitude of risks, and differences in mean scores. Addressing measurement issues in the assessment of health status may contribute to a better understanding of health issues in cross-cultural research.


OBJECTIVE
To provide a brief overview of issues regarding measurement in diverse populations.


RESULTS
Approaches used to assess the magnitude and nature of bias in measures when applied to diverse groups include qualitative analyses, classic psychometric studies, as well as more modern psychometric methods. These approaches should be applied sequentially, and/or iteratively during the development of measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Investigators performing comparative studies face the challenge of addressing measurement equivalence, crucial for obtaining accurate results in cross-cultural comparisons.
Ramírez
Mildred
M
Research Division, The Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, NY 10471, USA.
Ford
Marvella E
ME
Stewart
Anita L
AL
Teresi
Jeanne A
JA
D000368:Aged; D015982:Bias; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014481:United States