A foundational analysis of internal consistency for 17 geriatric/gerontological outcome measures in Nigerian older adults: Do we need further psychometric evaluation?

Many gerontological outcome measures developed and validated in advanced countries may produce unreliable results in Nigeria, necessitating psychometric evaluation of these tools. This study provides the foundational psychometric analysis of internal consistency across 17 common gerontological measures among community-dwelling older adults in Nigeria. This is a secondary analysis of 409 (83.9 % females) Nigerian older adults (mean age 67.96±6.67 years) who responded to 17 measures evaluating cognitive, environmental, physical, psychological, and social outcomes. Cronbach’s alpha was interpreted as ≥0.7 (high), close to 0.6 (moderate) and <0.5 (low). Item-test and item-rest correlations were considered acceptable if greater than 0.5 and >0.3, respectively. Mini-Mental State Examination, Memory Assessment Clinic Questionnaire, Attention Assessment Scale, Neighbourhood Satisfaction Subscale of the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), Life-space Mobility Questionnaire, 9-Item Modified Physical Literacy Instrument, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Fall Efficacy Scale- International, Keele Assessment of Participation, University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, Lubben Social Network Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Connectedness subscale of Social Isolation Scale (SIS) demonstrated high internal consistency (≥0.7). Similarly, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the belongingness subscale of SIS demonstrated moderate internal consistency (close to 0.6), while other NEWS subscales, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) had low internal consistency (<0.5). Fourteen measures demonstrated strong internal consistency in this sample, providing preliminary support for their potential suitability in Nigerian older adult population. A complete validation of reliability will require subsequent analyses of dimensionality, test–retest consistency, and measurement invariance across relevant populations to finalise confident use.