The psychometric properties of the Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire in seven musculoskeletal conditions

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to psychometrically test the Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire in seven musculoskeletal conditions.

Materials and methods: One thousand and two hundred people with ankylosing spondylitis; osteoarthritis; systemic lupus erythematosus; systemic sclerosis; chronic pain; chronic upper limb disorders; or Primary Sjögren’s syndrome completed the Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire, Health Assessment Questionnaire and Short-Form Health Survey v2. We examined internal construct validity using Rasch analysis, internal consistency, concurrent validity with the Health Assessment Questionnaire and Short-Form Health Survey v2. Participants repeated the Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire to assess test–retest reliability.

Results: The 12 domains satisfied Rasch model expectations for fit, local dependency, unidimensionality and invariance by age and gender, in each musculoskeletal condition. Internal consistency was consistent with individual use (Cronbach’s α > 0.90); concurrent validity was strong (Health Assessment Questionnaire: rs = 0.60–0.92; Short-Form Health Survey v2 Physical Function: rs = −0.61 to −0.91) and test–retest reliability excellent (Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient(2,1) = 0.77–0.96).

Conclusion: The Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire satisfied Rasch model requirements for construct validity and has good reliability and validity in each MSC. The Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire can be used as a measure of everyday activity in practice and research with people with musculoskeletal conditions.