Validation and reliability of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly in Chinese population.

Objectives: Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) is a widely used questionnaire in epidemiological studies for assessing the physical activity level of elderly. This study aims to translate and validate PASE in Chinese population.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Subjects: Chinese elderly aged 65 or above.

Methods: The original English version of PASE was translated into Chinese (PASE-C) following standardized translation procedures. Ninety Chinese elderly aged 65 or above were recruited in the community. Test-retest reliability was determined by comparing the scores obtained from two separate administrations by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Validity was evaluated by Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between PASE and Medical Outcome Survey 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), grip strength, single-leg-stance, 5 times sit-to-stand and 10-m walk.

Results: PASE-C demonstrated good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient  = 0.81). Fair to moderate association were found between PASE-C and most of the subscales of SF-36 (rs = 0.285 to 0.578, p < 0.01), grip strength (rs = 0.405 to 0.426, p < 0.001), single-leg-stance (rs = 0.470 to 0.548, p < 0.001), 5 times sit-to-stand (rs = -0.33, p = 0.001) and 10-m walk (rs = -0.281, p = 0.007).

Conclusion: PASE-C is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the physical activity level of elderly in Chinese population.