Evaluation of the arthritis impact measurement scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

The reliability of the Finnish AIMS2 (Finn-AIMS2) questionnaire was assessed by test retest procedure and internal consistency of health-status scales. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, and convergent validity by correlation coefficients, with several disease activity and functional status variables.

RESULTS

Internal consistency was 0.79-0.89 and test retest reliability 0.72-0.97. Factor analysis identified three factors: physical, psychosocial, and pain. There were strong correlations between the Finn-AIMS2 health-status scales and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ).

CONCLUSION

The Finn-AIMS2 questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status in middle-aged Finnish patients with RA. The results also support the applicability of AIMS2 in comparisons in multinational studies.