Reliability and Validity of the Valued Activity Inventory for Adults with Cancer

Abstract

The authors assessed the psychometric properties of the Valued Activity Inventory for Adults With Cancer (VAI-AC), a self-report instrument that measures activity limitations. Participants included 50 older adults undergoing chemotherapy who completed the VAI-AC and measures of physical and mental function, symptom intensity, and mood 3 days before and the day of chemotherapy. Test—retest reliability was assessed by determining the average number of items for which the importance of an activity was rated consistently and by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the first and second VAI-AC scores. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the VAI-AC scores with the other measures. Participants consistently rated the importance of 90% of the items. The 72-hour test—retest reliability ICC was 0.67. Participants with fewer activity limitations indicated better physical function ( r = 0.58, p < .001), better mental function ( r = 0.55, p < .001), lower symptom intensity ( r = −0.57, p < .001), and fewer depressive symptoms ( r = −0.68, p < .001). The VAI-AC demonstrated evidence of test—retest reliability and convergent validity in this convenience sample of older adults undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.