Validity of the Health Enhancement Lifestyle Profile–Screener (HELP-Screener)

The Health Enhancement Lifestyle Profile-Screener (HELP-Screener) is a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed as a brief, easy-to-score screening tool for detecting health-risk behaviors in older adults. This study examined concurrent validity and construct-related validity of the HELP-Screener with a sample of 310 community-dwelling older adults. Concurrent validity was supported through a high correlation (r(s) = .65; p < .0001) between the scores of the HELP-Screener and the original 56-item HELP. The construct-related validity was confirmed using the hypothesis-testing procedure. The first hypothesis was substantiated by a moderate negative correlation (r(s) = -.47; p < .0001) between the test scores and the numbers of chronic illness reported by participants. The second hypothesis was validated by a moderate correlation (r(s) = .58; p < .0001) between the test scores and self-ratings of health by participants. The HELP-Screener holds promise as a psychometrically sound tool for expediting detection of potential health-compromising lifestyles in older adults.