Perceived Accessibility of Living Environment and Services Questionnaire: Validity and Reliability

Assessing living-environment accessibility is relevant for older adults and others with disabilities because they influence participation in daily activities and quality of life (QoL). The objective of this study is to test the reliability and validity of the Perceived Accessibility of Living Environment and Services questionnaire (PALES). Feedback from experts on older adults and accessibility and a sample of 495 older adults (≥60 years) with/without disabilities was used to assess validity/reliability measures. Construct validity was tested via between-group (with/without disabilities) differences and correlations between PALES responses and World Health Organization's QoL domains, criterion validity via correlations between participant and researcher responses, and test-retest reliability. Results showed content validity, test-retest reliability (<i>r</i> = 0.892, <i>p</i> < .001), criterion validity (<i>r</i> = .826, <i>p</i> < .001), between-group differences <i>t</i>(493) = -6.591, <i>p</i> < .001, convergent validity (<i>r</i> = 0.41-0.31, <i>p</i> < .001), and discriminant validity (<i>r</i> = 0.16-0.14, <i>p</i> < .001). The PALES is suitable for assessing immediate neighborhood environment accessibility for older adults.