Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scale (UCLA-GAS)

Abstract

Aims: The attitudes toward older patients are considered the main factor in providing health services.

Background: There is a lack of proper short scale to measure attitudes toward older patients among healthcare professionals.

Objective: The present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the UCLA Geriatric Attitude scale (UCLA-GAS) among a sample of Iranian healthcare professionals.

Methods: The method of this study was cross-sectional for psychometric evaluation. The sample included 232 healthcare professionals in Mazandaran city. Study participants were selected by cluster random sampling technique. Psychometric evaluation of the UCLA-GAS assessed through content and construct validity. Content validity was evaluated based on the content validity index (CVI) and construct validity was investigated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Also, convergent validity was assessed using the Kogan's Attitudes Toward Older People Scale (KAOPS) questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency reliability and stability was assessed using test-retest.

Results: Regarding the content validity, CVI and modified Kappa statistic for all items were >0.79 and showed all items relevant to the UCLA-GAS in the Iranian context. The three dimensions of the UCLA-GAS extracted from factor analysis were labeled: 1- medical/economic burden (6 items) 2- appreciate attitude (5 items), 3- resource allocation (3 items). CFA revealed that the UCLA-GAS structure model was a validated model (CMIN = 2.312, GFI = 0.913, CFI = 0.902, RMSEA = 0.075). The scale had a significant and positive correlation with KAOPS questionnaire. Also, The Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.78 and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for total instrument was reported as 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87-0.98) and demonstrated good reliability of the instrument.

Conclusion: The result shows the UCLA-GAS is a valid and reliable scale for measuring attitudes toward older patients among healthcare professionals. This study recommends using Iranian UCLA-GAS in future research and policy-making.

Keywords: Aged; UCLA-GAS; attitude; factor analysis; geriatrics; healthcare professionals.