Assessing Older Adult Wellness: An Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Lifestyle Survey.

Background and purpose: To measure wellness interventions, researchers need valid and reliable tools to measure the concept of wellness. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Lifestyle Survey instrument. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults were recruited and asked to evaluate the reliability by engaging in a test retest reliability. Observer agreement was measured by calculating a kappa score for each item. Content validity was evaluated with a focus group session. Results: (n = 56) older adults completed the survey on time one and time two. Of 115 items, 77.39% demonstrated moderate or higher kappa agreement. Focus group respondents identified rewording a few items. Conclusion: With refinement, the Lifestyle Survey is a valid and reliable measure of wellness among community-dwelling older adults.