VALIDITY OF A SCALE TO MEASURE COMMITMENT TO HIP PROTECTORS AMONG CARE PROVIDERS IN LONG-TERM CARE

• Published in: Innovation in aging Vol. 1; no. suppl_1; p. 495
• Main Authors: Korall, A.M., Godin, J., Cameron, I., Feldman, F., Leung, P., Sims-Gould, J., Robinovitch, S.N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.1757

Hip fractures are a major threat to healthy aging, often triggering declines in health, mobility, quality of life, and even death. Wearable hip protectors represent a promising strategy to prevent hip fractures, but uncertainty surrounding their efficacy exists due to poor user adherence. In long-term care (LTC), adherence may depend on the commitment of caregivers to support use of hip protectors among residents, but empirical evidence is limited. Therefore, our objective was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a scale to measure caregiver commitment to hip protectors. We wrote 15-items to measure three components of commitment: affective (belief in value), cognitive (belief in efficacy), and behavioural (willingness to act). We surveyed 535 paid caregivers (92% female) from thirteen public LTC homes in British Columbia, Canada. Responses were subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and internal reliability testing. EFA supported a higher order structure, with two factors. Affective and cognitive items loaded highest on Factor 1, and behavioural items on Factor 2. Both factors loaded onto a higher order factor. One item was removed due to low loadings. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the affective/cognitive subscale, the behavioural subscale, and the full scale were .97, .87, and .96, respectively. Overall, 8% of the variability in commitment was explained by LTC home. Mean commitment was lower in caregivers with 20+ years of tenure, and those aware of a resident breaking their hip despite being protected (p<0.01). Findings could inform policy and practice to enhance caregiver commitment to hip protectors in LTC.