Hong Kong Chinese everyday competence scale: A validation study

The objective of this study was to validate a scale called the Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale in Hong Kong Chinese elders. The Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale is developed based on six major daily activities (shopping, transportation, symbols used in daily life, using electric appliances, consulting doctors, financial management) within Hong Kong context. There are six items for each aspect of these daily activities which are relevant to Hong Kong society. The Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale was completed by 204 people aged 60 years or older who attend the social centers for the elderly in Hong Kong. Firstly, reliability (internal consistency) of the Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale was found to be excellent. Concurrent validity was also established by strong correlations between the Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale and two global measures of cognitive ability, namely the Mini-Mental State Examination and Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. Moreover, we have also found significant association between the Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale and three tests of Primary Mental Abilities (number skill test, spatial relation test and inductive reasoning test). Results suggest that the Hong Kong Chinese Everyday Competence Scale is a reliable and valid assessment tool for everyday competence among elderly Chinese people in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2002 The Haworth Press, All rights reserved.