Development and psychometric properties of the Healthy Aging Activity Engagement Scale (HAAE)

Objectives: Accumulating research indicates that engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g. exercise, cognitive and social engagement, stress reduction) can prevent illness and disability as people age and improve mental health. The Healthy Aging Activity Engagement (HAAE) scale was developed to holistically assess an individual's level of engagement in healthy aging behaviors across multiple health domains. Methods: Participants were 275 healthy younger, midlife and older adults. Participants rated engagement in 38 healthy aging lifestyle behaviors over the past 7 days on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Results: Traditional measurement analysis and Rasch modelling techniques resulted in a 32-item scale with three subscales representing biologic health, social and cognitive strategies, and health safeguard behaviors. With the exception of the health safeguard subscale, the HAAE total score and subscales demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and responsiveness to a program designed to promote engagement in healthy brain aging behaviors. Discussion: With further validation, the HAAE may be useful for holistic clinical assessment of behaviors that promote healthy aging, support brain and mental health, and for treatment planning. Furthermore, the HAAE can be used to measure the outcome of multi-domain lifestyle interventions.