Areti Lagiou

Family characteristics and children's knowledge on cardiovascular risk factors

Cardiovascular disease has the highest mortality rate than any other disease globally. Some major risk factors seem to be established in the early stages of life, suggesting preventive strategies as a major means to reduce cardiovascular mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of socioeconomic status and family characteristics on childrens knowledge and perceptions concerning cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Adaptation and psychometric properties evaluation of the Greek version of WHODAS 2.0. pilot application in Greek elderly population

The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) is the official generic assessment instrument of WHO for disability and health. It is considered to be applicable across cultures in adult populations. The paper describes the development, cultural adaptation and validation of the Greek version of the official WHODAS 2.0, 36-item assessment schedule. The research tested the psychometric properties of this version in order to identify if it can be considered a valid and reliable instrument for measuring health and disability in the Greek population and culture. Field test studies were conducted in two hundred participants of the general population, aged over 61 years old, in a Greek Open Care Centre for the elderly. The study was carried out between July 2015 and September 2016. The linguistic adaptation of the original instrument was performed according to the most recent guidelines. Ratings of the different items were statistically analyzed to investigate the construct, criterion and concurrent validity and reliability of the instrument. Construct validity is confirmed in the Greek version of WHODAS 2.0. Concurrent validity is well established between the scores of WHODAS 2.0 and SF-36 v2. Cronbach’s α (0.673–0.901) and ICC (0.793–0.885) values indicate satisfactory reliability. The study supports the validity and reliability of the official Greek version of WHODAS 2.0, which can be used to assess effectively the quality of life and disability levels of the intended population and inform policy-making. Findings will be further tested in larger and diversified samples in subsequent parts of the study.