Activity Participation Profile of Older People in the Community: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of activity participation of community- dwelling older people in Hong Kong by using the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) questionnaire. Although FAI data have clinical values and has been commonly used in clinical studies, age- or gender-referenced norms of FAI scores have not been established locally. This pilot study interviewed 62 subjects (19 males, 43 females; mean age, 74.4 ± 6.7 years) in two community centres. Subjects completed two interviewer-administered questionnaires, one on demographic information and the other on 13 questions of the original 15-item FAI. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to test the differences in mean FAI scores between genders and among four age groups, respectively. Difference in the total FAI score was significant between genders (p < 0.05) and in the domestic domain (p < 0.01) but not among age groups (p = 0.24). Similarities and differences of the results are discussed with reference to two other reports in the literature. Norm references in FAI should be established with a larger sample of older people in the Hong Kong community.