Measuring activity engagement in old age: An exploratory factor analysis
Marr, C. Niechcial, M.A. Dewar, M. Gow, A.J.
Marr, C.
Niechcial, M.A.
Dewar, M.
Gow, A.J.
Publication Date
2021-12-06
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© 2021 The Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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openAccess
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2021-11-20
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Abstract
A growing body of literature suggests that higher engagement in a range of activities can be
beneficial for cognitive health in old age. Such studies typically rely on self-report questionnaires
to assess level of engagement. These questionnaires are highly heterogeneous
across studies, limiting generalisability. In particular, the most appropriate domains of activity
engagement remain unclear. The Victoria Longitudinal Study-Activity Lifestyle Questionnaire
comprises one of the broadest and most diverse collections of activity items, but
different studies report different domain structures. This study aimed to help establish a generalisable
domain structure of the Victoria Longitudinal Study-Activity Lifestyle Questionnaire.
The questionnaire was adapted for use in a sample of UK-based older adults (336
community-dwelling adults aged 65–92 with no diagnosed cognitive impairment). An exploratory
factor analysis was conducted on 29 items. The final model retained 22 of these items
in a six-factor structure. Activity domains were: Manual (e.g., household repairs), Intellectual
(e.g., attending a public lecture), Games (e.g., card games), Religious (e.g., attending religious
services), Exercise (e.g., aerobics) and Social (e.g., going out with friends). Given that
beneficial activities have the potential to be adapted into interventions, it is essential that
future studies consider the most appropriate measurement of activity engagement across
domains. The factor structure reported here offers a parsimonious and potentially useful
way for future studies to assess engagement in different kinds of activities.
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Citation
Marr C, Vaportzis E, Niechcial MA, et al (2021) Measuring activity engagement in old age: An exploratory factor analysis. PLoS ONE. 16(12): e0260996.
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