Percentile Norms Research Articles

The impact of age and sex on popliteal artery endothelial-dependent vasodilator and vasoconstrictor function.

Lower-limb arteries, such as the popliteal artery, are a common site of atherosclerosis. These arteries are habitually exposed to large fluctuations in blood flow during physical and sedentary activities. Low-flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) provide indices of endothelial-dependent vasoconstriction and vasodilation, respectively. Age and sex both impact upper-limb FMD. However, it is unclear whether these factors also influence popliteal endothelial-dependent function. Popliteal endothelial function was compared between younger and older males and females (n=14 per group) matched for age- and sex-specific relative aerobic fitness levels (each group's normative percentile: ~45%). Nitroglycerin-mediated dilation (NMD) was also assessed as a measure of endothelial-independent vasodilation. Ageing reduced relative popliteal FMD in both males (older: 4.3±1.8% versus younger 5.7±1.9%) and females (older: 2.9±1.8% versus younger: 6.1±1.6%, both: P<0.046). FMD was also lower in older females versus older males (P=0.04). Popliteal NMD findings followed the same pattern as FMD. Compared to younger adults, relative L-FMC responses were blunted among older males (older: -1.2±1.1% versus younger: -2.2±1.0%) and females (older: -1.0±1.2% versus younger: -2.1±1.3%, both P<0.03) with no sex-differences observed in either age group (all, P>0.60). The adverse age- and sex-related (older adults only) declines in popliteal FMD were mediated, in part, by reduced vascular smooth muscle sensitivity to nitric oxide. Endothelial-dependent vasoconstriction was also attenuated with age, but unaffected by sex. Despite similar normative aerobic fitness percentiles (~45%), older adults exhibited attenuated popliteal endothelial function than their younger counterparts. This was particularly evident in older females who exhibited the lowest endothelial-dependent vasodilatory responses.

A case report of a patient with mild cognitive impairment preceded by transient global amnesia with hypometabolism on FDG‐PET

AbstractBackgroundThis is the case of a 61‐year‐old Filipino female who presented with two episodes of transient global amnesia at the ages of 56 and 57.MethodThe patient underwent serial cranial MRI, cranial FDG‐PET/CT scan, and cognitive assessments over a period of five years.ResultCranial MRI at the time of the first episode in 2014 showed foci of restricted diffusion abnormality in the left hippocampus. Baseline cognitive assessment was negative for any impairment. On recurrence of TGA in 2015, brain FDG‐PET/CT scan was done which showed mild hypometabolism in the temporal and parietal cortices and hypometabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex. A second comprehensive cognitive assessment was negative for any impairment. Three years after the first episode (2017), she developed subtle changes in memory and thinking and had mild impairment in categorical fluency on neuropsychologic examination. Follow‐up cranial MRI (2017) showed slight decrease in hippocampal volumetry from the 43rd percentile to the 41st normative percentile. Follow‐up cranial FDG‐PET (2019) showed small mildly hypometabolic areas in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes. The clinical assessment for the patient at this time is very mild cognitive impairment, non‐amnestic, probably secondary to a neurodegenerative process.ConclusionThis case study shows that transient global amnesia can recur and it may be a risk for cognitive impairment. It also illustrates that existing brain pathology related to a neurodegenerative process can be evident on neuroimaging despite very subtle clinical and neuropsychological cognitive changes. These findings also support aggressive preventive measures of delaying cognitive impairment.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Approach to Increasing Risk-Level Consistency in the Application of Risk Assessment Instruments.

Correctional and forensic mental health settings potentially have multiple risk assessment instruments administered on a single client. Because of the various methods of determining risk categories, risk-level consistency can become an issue. The Council of State Governments Justice Center developed a Five-Level System that can be applied to most risk assessment instruments. Using the Level of Service Inventory-Revised and two created risk assessment instruments, the present study assessed if the Five-Level System (vs. normative percentile categories) demonstrated greater agreement between the two instruments, and, if so, the percentage of greater agreement. The Five-Level System demonstrated 4% to 5% greater agreement for both risk-level placement and recidivism rates. The implications of this greater consistency among risk assessment instruments is an increased fairness in making risk-level assignments.

Voter Perceptions of President Donald Trump’s Personality Disorder Traits: Implications of Political Affiliation

The short form of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (SCATI) was used to measure traits associated with 14 personality disorders (according to essential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria) in Donald Trump shortly after the fall 2016 election. Liberal or conservative participants ( N = 219, mean age = 38.20 years, range = 18–79 years) were randomly assigned to view a positive or negative compilation of official campaign videos depicting Trump and then completed the SCATI. The general hypothesis was supported: Respondents’ political affiliation related with personality perceptions (although campaign video compilations did not). Despite differences in magnitude, the relative strength of the traits associated with the disorders was highly similar between conservatives and liberals (intraclass correlation coefficient = .76, p &lt; .001). On the basis of overall rankings (independent of respondent’s party affiliation), Trump’s personality was collectively perceived to be at or above the 99th normative percentile for traits associated with four personality disorders (sadistic, narcissistic, antisocial, and passive-aggressive).

Percentile curves for Brazilian children evaluated with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition

Abstract This study aimed to (1) create percentile curves and norms for the eight subtests of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (BOT-2) for 6- to 10-year-old Brazilian children and to (2) compare them to the values of the original test manual. To that, we tested a sample of 931 Brazilian children (477 girls, 454 boys) with ages between 6 to 10 with the BOT-2 assessment. The LMS method was used to generate the percentile curves and normative values, with the LMSchartmaker Pro software version 2.54. Results demonstrate that girls had significantly higher scores for the fine motor precision, fine motor integration, manual dexterity and balance subtests, while boys had significantly higher scores on upper-limb coordination, running speed and agility, and the strength subtests. The findings also indicated higher values for the Brazilian group in the subtests of bilateral coordination, running speed and agility, balance, and upper-limb coordination when compared to the North American normative sample. The percentile curves illustrate the increase in motor proficiency levels as age increases, with different trajectories for each subtest. Future studies should continue the investigation of cultural norms and appropriate assessments for the Brazilian population. Here, the creation of percentile curves and norms that are better suited for the Brazilian population can significantly help with assessment and intervention for motor development in distinct settings and with typical and atypical school-age children.

Further Evidence for Criterion Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Luxembourg Workplace Mobbing Scale

Abstract. Workplace mobbing has various negative consequences for targeted individuals and are costly to organizations. At present it is debated whether gender, age, or occupation are potential risk factors. However, empirical data remain inconclusive as measures of workplace mobbing so far lack of measurement invariance (MI) testing – a prerequisite for meaningful manifest between-group comparisons. To close this research gap, the present study sought to further elucidate MI of the recently developed brief Luxembourg Workplace Mobbing Scale (LWMS; Steffgen, Sischka, Schmidt, Kohl, &amp; Happ, 2016 ) across gender, age, and occupational groups and to test whether these factors represent important risk factors of workplace mobbing. Furthermore, we sought to expand data on criterion validity of the LWMS with different self-report criterion measures such as psychological health (e.g., work-related burnout, suicidal thoughts), physiological health problems, organizational behavior (i.e., subjective work performance, turnover intention, and absenteeism), and with a self-labeling mobbing index. Data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) in a representative sample of 1,480 employees working in Luxembourg (aged from 16 to 66; 45.7% female). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed scalar MI across gender and occupation as well as partial scalar invariance across age groups. None of these factors impacted on the level of workplace mobbing. Correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses strongly support the criterion validity of the LWMS. Due to its briefness while at the same time being robust against language, age, gender, and occupational group factors and exhibiting meaningful criterion validity, the LWMS is particularly attractive for large-scale surveys as well as for single-case assessment and, thus, general percentile norms are reported in the Electronic Supplementary Materials.

Validation of an Instrument to Assess the Skill Levels of Adolescent Students to Learn Knowledge

The objectives of this study were to a)verify the validity and reliability of a scale to assess skill levels to learn content knowledge (SLACK) and b) develop percentile norms to assess the SLACK of adolescent students. The study included 2270 students (1134 males and 1136 females) ranging in age from 10.0 to 18.9 years old. A scale was used to measure the SLACK. The results showed high values of validity (saturation between 0.32 and 0.54) and with internal consistency from 0.83 and 0.84. The LMS method made it possible to create percentiles p10, p50, and p90 in order to classify the (SLACK) based on category, age, and sex. The results suggested the use and application of the scale with the school education system by using the percentiles to diagnosis, classify, and monitor the skills for learning knowledge validly and reliably.

The Chinese version of the Gold-MSI: Adaptation and validation of an inventory for the measurement of musical sophistication in a Taiwanese sample

This study presents the Chinese adaptation of the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), an instrument for measuring individual differences in musical ability and skilled musical behaviour. Its psychometric properties were examined with a Taiwanese sample. The Gold-MSI inventory was translated into Chinese following recommendations from the literature on cross-cultural test development. Subsequently, the psychometric properties of the Chinese Gold-MSI self-report inventory, including the Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task, were evaluated using an online survey with 1,065 participants. Results of confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the original factor structure of the Gold-MSI inventory showed an acceptable fit with the data from the Chinese-speaking sample. In addition, the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory shows good reliability. The Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task also have sufficient test-retest reliability. Finally, correlations between the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory and the Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence subscale of the Eight Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire as well as the two additional music tests provide evidence for convergent and divergent validity. Overall, the data suggest that the Chinese Gold-MSI has good psychometric properties. Percentile norms for the Gold-MSI inventory and the music tests from the present sample are reported for use in future studies. The present study thus makes a valuable contribution to cross-cultural research in music psychology by enabling the comparison between Chinese and Western studies of individual differences in musical ability.

Lifespan normative data on rates of brain volume changes

We provide here normative values of yearly percentage brain volume change (PBVC/y) as obtained with Structural Imaging Evaluation, using Normalization, of Atrophy, a widely used open-source software, developing a PBVC/y calculator for assessing the deviation from the expected PBVC/y in patients with neurological disorders. We assessed multicenter (34 centers, 11 acquisition protocols) magnetic resonance imaging data of 720 healthy participants covering the whole adult lifespan (16–90 years). Data of 421 participants with a follow-up > 6 months were used to obtain the normative values for PBVC/y and data of 392 participants with a follow-up <1 month were selected to assess the intrasubject variability of the brain volume measurement. A mixed model evaluated PBVC/y dependence on age, sex, and magnetic resonance imaging parameters (scan vendor and magnetic field strength). PBVC/y was associated with age (p < 0.001), with 60- to 70-year-old participants showing twice more volume decrease than participants aged 30–40 years. PBVC/y was also associated with magnetic field strength, with higher decreases when measured by 1.5T than 3T scanners (p < 0.001). The variability of PBVC/y normative percentiles was narrower as the interscan interval was longer (e.g., 80th normative percentile was 50% smaller for participants with 2-year than with 1-year follow-up). The use of these normative data, eased by the freely available calculator, might help in better discriminating pathological from physiological conditions in the clinical setting.

Establishment of the norms of Sub-Health Measurement Scale Version 1.0 for Chinese urban residents

To establish the norms of Sub-Health Measurement Scale (SHMS V1.0) for Chinese urban residents. Using a multistage stratified sampling method, we conducted a large-scale epidemiological investigation among 15 066 urban residents sampled from 6 regions in China, including Tianjin City (north China), Guangdong Province (south China), Anhui Province (central south China), Sichuan Province (southwest China), Lanzhou City (northwest China) and Harbin City (northeast China). The mean, percentile and threshold norms were established based on the characteristics of SHMS V1.0 scores for Chinese urban residents. The mean and percentile norms of total, physical, mental and social sub-health of Chinese urban residents were established according to gender and different age groups (14-19, 20-29, 30-49, 50-64 and ≥65 years). The threshold norms of SHMS V1.0 divided 5 health states, namely disease, severe sub-health, moderate subhealth, mild sub-health and healthy states according to the Mean±SD and Mean±0.5SD of the converted scores. The norms of Sub-Health Measurement Scale (SHMS V1.0) for Chinese urban residents were established, which provides a reference for rapid screening and diagnosis of sub-health status in Chinese urban residents and facilitates further study of the prevalence and contributing factors of sub-health.

Are ‘neurotypical controls’ really neurotypical? Individual differences in mental health traits in ‘control’ populations

Are ‘neurotypical controls’ really neurotypical? Individual differences in mental health traits in ‘control’ populations

Normative Data of the Wingate Anaerobic Test in 1 Year Age Groups of Male Soccer Players

The Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) has been used extensively to evaluate performance in soccer, however, a comprehensive sport-specific normative database has not been available so far. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to develop norms of the main indices of the WAnT with regards to age in soccer. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship of WAnT with two common field tests, 20 m sprint and vertical jump, and study the variation of this relationship by age and playing position. Hundred and ninety five male soccer players (age 18.1 ± 4.9 years) performed the WAnT, and a sub-sample of 190 soccer players (age 19.4 ± 5.1 years) performed 20 m sprint, squat (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). Age was related very largely with peak power (R2 = 0.57) and mean power of the WAnT (R2 = 0.60) when they were expressed in W, and largely (R2 = 0.41 and R2 = 0.33, respectively) when they were expressed in W.kg−1, whereas it did not relate with fatigue index. After being adjusted for age, a relationship of SJ (B = 3.91, 90% CI: 2.49, 5.32; R2 = 0.26), CMJ (B = 3.59, 90% CI: 2.22, 4.95; R2 = 0.24) and 20 m sprint (B = −0.06, 90% CI: −0.10; −0.01; R2 = 0.19) with peak power of the WanT was observed. In summary, Ppeak and Pmean were related very largely to age, especially during adolescence, and percentile norms of these indices were developed for 1-year age groups from 11 to 21 years old and for a single adult age group (22–39 years old). These findings on the largest dataset of soccer players ever studied would be expected to offer a practical tool to the members of the sports medicine team (e.g., exercise physiologists, fitness trainers, and coaches) working with them.

Normative Values for Self-Reported Benchmark Workout Scores in CrossFit\xae Practitioners

BackgroundCrossFit® practitioners commonly track progress by monitoring their ability to complete a variety of standardized benchmark workouts within a typical class setting. However, objective assessment of progress is challenging because normative data does not currently exist for any of these benchmark workouts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop normative values for five common benchmark workouts (i.e., Fran, Grace, Helen, Filthy-50 [F50], and Fight-Gone-Bad [FGB]).MethodsPerformance data from 133,857 male (M) and female (F) profiles located on a publicly available website were collected and sorted by sex (i.e., male [M] and female [F]) and competitive age classification (i.e., teen [T], individual [I], or masters [M]) and screened for errors. Subsequently, 10,000 valid profiles were randomly selected for analysis.ResultsMeans and standard deviations were calculated for each category for Fran (IM 250 ± 106 s; IF 331 ± 181 s; MM 311 ± 138 s; MF 368 ± 138 s; TM 316 ± 136 s; and TF 334 ± 120 s), Grace (IM 180 ± 90 s; IF 213 ± 96 s; MM 213 ± 93 s; MF 238 ± 100 s; TM 228 ± 63 s; and TF 223 ± 69 s), Helen (IM 9.5 ± 1.9 min; IF 11.1 ± 2.4 min; MM 10.2 ± 2.0 min; MF 11.5 ± 2.3 min; TM 9.4 ± 1.6 min; and TF 12.7 ± 1.9 min), F50 (IM 24.4 ± 5.9 min; IF 27.3 ± 6.9 min; MM 26.7 ± 6.1 min; MF 28.2 ± 6.0 min; TM 25.9 ± 7.9 min; and TF 28.3 ± 8.1 min), and FGB (IM 335 ± 65 repetitions; IF 292 ± 62 repetitions; MM 311 ± 59 repetitions; MF 280 ± 54 repetitions; TM 279 ± 44 repetitions; and TF 238 ± 35 repetitions). These values were then used to calculate normative percentile (in deciles) values for each category within each workout. Separate, one-way analyses of variance revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences between categories for each workout.ConclusionsThese normative values can be used to assess proficiency and sport-specific progress, establish realistic training goals, and for standard inclusion/exclusion criteria for future research in CrossFit® practitioners.

Walidacja Kwestionariusza Kultury Organizacyjnej Harrisona i Handy w warunkach polskich

The publication contains description and results validation procedure of Harrison and Handy Organizational Culture Questionnaire to Polish conditions. Validation research were realized on sample N=320 while normalization on sample N=1133. First part of the article presents basic assumptions about organizational culture model and typology. Further parts of the publication contain a validation results, including accuracy, reliability, power of discrimination and normalization with creating percentile norms. The obtained results have appropriate psychometric parameters conditions of Polish organizations.

General Population Norms for the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue Scale

BackgroundThe Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue Scale is an internationally used validated measure. General population–based age- and sex-specific percentile norms are, however, not published to date, although these are needed as reference for the interpretation of clinical research data. ObjectivesTo assess the FACIT-Fatigue Scale in a large representative sample of the German general population to examine psychometric characteristics and factorial structure and to provide population-based norms. MethodsA nationally representative face-to-face household survey was conducted in Germany using the FACIT-Fatigue Scale. Item characteristics were examined. Internal consistency was determined using the Cronbach α. Dimensionality was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bifactor analysis. Scale score differences relating to sex and age were assessed. Sex- and age-specific percentiles were computed for the entire scale range. ResultsOf 2426 participants, 55.7% were women, and the mean age was 49.8 ± 17.4 years. The FACIT-Fatigue Scale mean was 43.5 ± 8.3. Cronbach α was high at 0.92. Although fit indices of the CFA were below desired levels (root mean squared error of approximation = 0.144, comparative fit index = 0.846, and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.815), item loadings in the CFA and bifactor analysis confirm the scale’s unidimensionality. Women were more fatigued than men, and participants who were 70 years or older showed higher fatigue scores than younger respondents. Thus, sex- and age-specific population-based percentiles were provided. ConclusionsReliability and validity of the German translation of the FACIT-Fatigue Scale were confirmed. This study provides general population–based sex- and age-specific FACIT-Fatigue Scale percentile norms for the first time, thereby contributing to a meaningful interpretation of clinical research data.

Free Weight Bench Press Muscular Fitness Normative Data for Adults Aged 20-29 Years

The only available norms for the bench press muscular fitness tests for the general population are the norms developed by the Cooper Institute. These norms were developed using the Universal Gym DVR bench press equipment, which makes these values not directly applicable to free weight bench press. PURPOSE: The free weight bench press test is one of the most convenient tests used to evaluate muscular fitness and the effectiveness of resistance training programs for a variety of sports. However, its use and interpretation as an evaluative measurement for health-related physical fitness tests are limited because there are few published reference values derived for the general population. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to generate normative values for free weight bench press 1 repetition maximal (RM) and 4 sets of 65% of 1RM training volume (total repetitions × resistance) for 20- to 29-year-olds for men and women. METHODS: We recruited healthy 606 subjects for this study. 351 males (mean±SD, age=23 ± 2 yr, height= 177±7cm, body mass=83±16kg) and 255 females (age=23±3 yr, height=167±6cm, body mass=67±11.3kg) aged 20 to 29 years from different universities comprised the subject pool. Data collected from the bench press test included absolute (1RM) and relative (the ratio of 1RM to body weight) strength, and the total repetitions and absolute and relative total volumes of the 1st set and 4 sets of 65% of 1 RM bench press test with 30 second rest periods between sets. Percentile norms and descriptive statistics were generated. RESULTS: Table 1 reports the %tile rank values for the bench press exercise for men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide, for the first time, reference standards for the general population aged 20 to 29 years sex-and age-specific free weight bench press 1RM and training volumes of the 4 sets of 65% of bench press test with 30 second rest periods between sets.Table 1: %tile rank for bench press muscular fitness for men and women

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury-Who Succeeds Without Reconstructive Surgery? The Delaware-Oslo ACL Cohort Study.

Background:More than 50% of highly active patients with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury who choose nonsurgical treatment (active rehabilitation alone) have successful 2-year outcomes and comparable knee function to an uninjured population. Early predictive factors for a successful outcome may aid treatment decision making in this population.Purpose:To identify early predictors of a successful 2-year outcome in those who choose nonsurgical treatment of an ACL injury.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:This prospective cohort study consisted of ACL-injured athletes who were consecutively screened for inclusion. A total of 300 patients were included from 2 sites (Oslo, Norway, and Delaware, USA), and the 118 patients who initially chose not to undergo ACL reconstruction were included. All patients participated in pivoting sports before the injury, and none had significant concomitant injuries. A successful 2-year outcome was defined as having 2-year International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores ≥15th normative percentile and not undergoing ACL reconstruction. Multivariable logistic regression models were built using demographic and knee function data (quadriceps muscle strength, 4 single-leg hop tests, IKDC score, and Knee Outcome Survey–Activities of Daily Living Scale [KOS-ADLS] score) collected at baseline or after a 5-week neuromuscular and strength training (NMST) rehabilitation program.Results:After 2 years, 52 of 97 (53.6%) patients had a successful outcome. In the multivariable baseline model, older age, female sex, better performance on the single-leg hop test, and a higher KOS-ADLS score were significantly associated with successful 2-year outcomes. After the 5-week NMST rehabilitation program, older age, female sex, and a higher IKDC score increased the odds of a successful 2-year outcome. The 2 models had comparable predictive accuracy (post-NMST area under the curve [AUC], 0.78 [95% CI, 0.68-0.88]; baseline AUC, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.72-0.89]).Conclusion:Clinicians and patients can be more confident in a nonsurgical treatment choice (active rehabilitation alone) in athletes who are female, are older in age, and have good knee function, as measured by single-leg hop tests and patient-reported outcome measures, early after an ACL injury. Prediction models that include measures of knee function, assessed either before or after rehabilitation, can estimate 2-year prognoses for nonsurgical treatment and thereby assist shared treatment decision making.

Word Decoding Task: Item Analysis by IRT and Within-Group Norms

Abstract This paper reports the performance of a representative sample of 747 students (52.5% female), from 2nd to 5th year of elementary education from private and public (83.8%) schools of Sao Paulo city. The children performed the Form A of Word Reading and Spelling Task (WRST) containing 48 low-frequency words presented in a card. Data were analyzed using models of Item Response Theory. We observed high levels of accuracy. The analysis selected 24 items, which presented low to moderate discrimination and difficulty indices. There were mean differences between grades, but not sex or school type. We report percentile norms for the grades for the WRST´S (Form) Reduced Version. The results support preceding studies with the word decoding tasks in Brazilian Portuguese, which attested to the quasi-regular character of that language.

Development and Standardization of an Alienation Scale for Visually Impaired Students

Introduction The present study was undertaken to develop a valid and reliable scale for measuring a feeling of alienation in students with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision). Methods In this study, a pool of 60 items was generated to develop an Alienation Scale for Visually Impaired Students (AL-VI) based on a review of the literature and discussions with colleagues and experts in the field. The items were organized into six dimensions of alienation, namely powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation, self-estrangement, and cultural estrangement, and were rated on the five-point Likert scale. The standardization of the scale was completed with 118 students with visual impairments in the age group of 10 to 25 years, selected randomly from specialized and inclusive schools in the state of Haryana, India. Results The item analysis was done by calculating t- and r-values; seven items were deleted, and a final 45 items were retained. The calculated value of Cronbach's alpha and split-half correlation came out to be 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. The construct validity was determined by computing the coefficient of correlation between scores of this scale and the scores obtained by using the Student Alienation scale (SAS) of R. R. Sharma (Sharma, 2012). The percentile norm for the scale was determined after verifying normality of the scores by using a Q-Q plot. Discussion The findings of the present study suggest that the AL-VI may serve as a useful tool in future research to assess alienation in persons with visual impairments in India. The findings further demonstrate that the AL-VI produced scores that are reliable and valid. The AL-VI can be used outside India after determining its reliability and validity in context-specific conditions. Implications for practitioners The AL-VI scale is applicable to students with visual impairments, teachers of students with visual impairments, principals, social workers, psychologists, and rehabilitation professionals. Practitioners could use this tool for assessing and understanding the level of alienation among students with visual impairments, thereby helping them in planning and executing strategies for remediating alienation.

Percentile ranks and benchmark estimates of change for the Health Education Impact Questionnaire: Normative data from an Australian sample.

Objective:Participant self-report data play an essential role in the evaluation of health education activities, programmes and policies. When questionnaire items do not have a clear mapping to a performance-based continuum, percentile norms are useful for communicating individual test results to users. Similarly, when assessing programme impact, the comparison of effect sizes for group differences or baseline to follow-up change with effect sizes observed in relevant normative data provides more directly useful information compared with statistical tests of mean differences and the evaluation of effect sizes for substantive significance using universal rule-of-thumb such as those for Cohen’s ‘d’. This article aims to assist managers, programme staff and clinicians of healthcare organisations who use the Health Education Impact Questionnaire interpret their results using percentile norms for individual baseline and follow-up scores together with group effect sizes for change across the duration of typical chronic disease self-management and support programme.Methods:Percentile norms for individual Health Education Impact Questionnaire scale scores and effect sizes for group change were calculated using freely available software for each of the eight Health Education Impact Questionnaire scales. Data used were archived responses of 2157 participants of chronic disease self-management programmes conducted by a wide range of organisations in Australia between July 2007 and March 2013.Results:Tables of percentile norms and three possible effect size benchmarks for baseline to follow-up change are provided together with two worked examples to assist interpretation.Conclusion:While the norms and benchmarks presented will be particularly relevant for Australian organisations and others using the English-language version of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire, they will also be useful for translated versions as a guide to the sensitivity of the scales and the extent of the changes that might be anticipated from attendance at a typical chronic disease self-management or health education programme.