title: Disease burden morbidity assessment by self-report: Psychometric properties in older adults in Spain.
abstract: To carry out an analysis of the psychometric properties of the Disease Burden Morbidity Assessment (DBMA) according to the assumptions of the Classical Test Theory.
  
  
  
  A sample of 707 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older, living in Spain, completed the DBMA. Psychometric properties of the scale (feasibility, acceptability, scaling assumptions, reliability and construct validity) were analyzed.
  
  
  
  The mean DBMA score was 6.8. Feasibility and acceptability were satisfactory, except for large floor effects (>50%), as well as a skewed distribution (1.8). Item-total corrected correlation ranged 0.10-0.49, item homogeneity index was 0.09 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.72. Disease burden correlated strongly with physical functioning (r = -0.56) and perceived health (r = -0.56), and moderately with depression (r = 0.41) and the Personal Wellbeing Index (r = -0.41). Exploratory factor analysis extracted five factors, explaining 44% of the variance.
  
  
  
  The DBMA is an acceptable and valid instrument for measuring disease burden in older adults. Future studies should include Rasch analysis to further assess dimensionality and explore other measurement properties. Geriatr Gerontol 2017; 17: 1102-1108.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Quality Management, General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene G M
authors.initials: IGM
authors.lastname: Wijers
authors.affiliation: National School of Public Health, Institute of Health Carlos III and REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayala
authors.affiliation: National Center of Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health and CIBERNED, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3829-0675
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Blazquez
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Biotechnology, Universidad Europea, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Laso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: National School of Public Health, Institute of Health Carlos III and REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Forjaz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D057187:Independent Living; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000071069:Multiple Chronic Conditions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: aged; burden of illness; chronic disease; comorbidity; psychometrics