Workshop Objectives:
This workshop is sponsored by the Measurement and Methods Core of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) which provide scientific information on ways of measuring the determinants of health and health care disparities in older adults.
Research to understand the nature of health disparities and the mechanisms by which they occur depend on measures that have been designed and/or adapted for diverse populations. However, such information is often not in the published literature for several reasons: 1) the measurement work is often “behind the scenes,” 2) completing assessment and/or adaptation of measures takes a long time, and 3) publication of measurement analyses is difficult. RCMAR investigators have extensive experience in developing, adapting, and evaluating health-related measures for diverse older populations.
In this workshop, RCMAR investigators will share examples of the methodological approaches used in their research related to minority health and disparities in health and health care. Methods will be presented in developing concepts of ethnic identity in American Indians, cultural sensitivity across several diverse ethnic/language groups, social support in older Korean and Chinese immigrants, and environmental supports for physical activity. Methods (confirmatory factor analysis and IRT analyses) for testing the equivalence of surveys (e.g., SF-36 ® , CAHPS ® , and Mini Mental Status Exam) will also be presented. An approach involving integrating qualitative and quantitative methods in an iterative manner to develop new measures that are equivalent across several groups will be reviewed. Participants will be provided with a set of resource materials on the various methods presented for use in their own research.
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