Validation of the PROMIS physical function measures in a diverse US population-based cohort of cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the validity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function measures in a diverse, population-based cancer sample.


METHODS
Cancer patients 6-13 months post-diagnosis (n = 4840) were recruited for the Measuring Your Health study. Participants were diagnosed between 2010 and 2013 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or cancers of the colorectum, lung, breast, uterus, cervix, or prostate. Four PROMIS physical function short forms (4a, 6b, 10a, and 16) were evaluated for validity and reliability across age and race-ethnicity groups. Covariates included gender, marital status, education level, cancer site and stage, comorbidities, and functional status.


RESULTS
PROMIS physical function short forms showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.92-0.96), convergent validity (fatigue, pain interference, FACT physical well-being all r ≥ 0.68), and discriminant validity (unrelated domains all r ≤ 0.3) across survey short forms, age, and race-ethnicity. Known-group differences by demographic, clinical, and functional characteristics performed as hypothesized. Ceiling effects for higher-functioning individuals were identified on most forms.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides strong evidence that PROMIS physical function measures are valid and reliable in multiple race-ethnicity and age groups. Researchers selecting specific PROMIS short forms should consider the degree of functional disability in their patient population to ensure that length and content are tailored to limit response burden.
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3300 Whitehaven Street NW, Suite 4100, Washington, DC, 20007, USA. rj222@georgetown.edu.
Roxanne E
RE
Jensen
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3300 Whitehaven Street NW, Suite 4100, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.
Arnold L
AL
Potosky
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.|Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Bryce B
BB
Reeve
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Elizabeth
E
Hahn
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
David
D
Cella
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
James
J
Fries
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.
Ashley Wilder
AW
Smith
Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA.|Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Theresa H M
TH
Keegan
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Xiao-Cheng
XC
Wu
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Lisa
L
Paddock
Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
Carol M
CM
Moinpour
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
Oncology; Patient-reported outcomes; Physical function; Validation studies