Abstract
ObjectivesStudy of well‐being of older adults, a rapidly growing demographic group in sub‐Saharan Africa, depends on well‐validated tools like the WHOQOL‐OLD. This scale has been tested on different populations with reasonable validity results but has limited application in Africa. The specific goal of this paper was to examine the factor structure of the WHOQOL‐OLD translated into three Ghanaian languages: Ga, Akan, and Kasem. We also tested group invariance for sex and for type of community (distinguished by ethnicity/language).MethodsWe interviewed 353 older adults aged 60 years and above, selected from three ethnically and linguistically different communities. Using a cross‐sectional design, we used purpose and convenience methods to select participants in three geographically and ethnically distinct communities. Each community was made up of selected rural, peri‐urban, and urban communities in Ghana. The questionnaire was translated into three languages and administered to each respondent.ResultsThe results showed moderate to high internal consistency coefficient and factorial validity for the scale. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found that the results supported a multidimensional structure of the WHOQOL‐OLD and that it did not differ for males and females, neither did it differ for different ethnic/linguistic groups.ConclusionsWe conclude that the translated versions of the measure are adequate tools for evaluation of quality of life of older adults among the respective ethnic groups studied in Ghana. These results will also enable comparison of quality of life between older adults in Ghana and in other cultures.
Highlights
The rapid pace of economic development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has resulted in demographic shifts from younger populations to a more aged population
Improved health of the population in LMICs is accompanied by improved quality of life which means that more people are living into advanced old age (Ahmad, 2016; Gyasi & Phillips, 2020)
(1) we tested the assumption that the underlying dimensions of the measure would be confirmed, and we examined whether (2) the WHOQOL-OLD is invariant for males and females and (3) invariant for three ethno- linguistic groups
Summary
The rapid pace of economic development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has resulted in demographic shifts from younger populations to a more aged population This is fueled largely by improved health care and increase in life expectancy in many LMICs (Ahmad, 2016; Prina et al, 2020). The demographic shift in life expectancy has caused changes in the disease burden profiles of LMICs, with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) becoming a more common and growing public health challenge (Aikins & Agyeman, 2017) Consistent with this change, governments’ concerns are moving toward developing comprehensive policies on provision of interventions that meet the health needs of older adults. There is increasing effort to provide this need-based research globally, especially on physical health needs of the aged
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