A new performance based measure of activities of daily living: Pilot study of the Night Out Task Czech version

Abstract

In the Czech Republic, a naturalistic performance measure for assessing instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) has not yet been implemented. The present study aims to adapt such a method, the Night Out Task (NOT), for use within the Czech context. In the NOT, participants are asked to perform daily activities, such as beverage preparation and money counting. Their performance is scored by a trained professional while the participants execute the substasks. Initially, the NOT was translated into Czech using a back-to-back translation procedure. Following this, the adapted version was administered to participants in either their homes or a senior citizens' club setting. A total of 35 participants (>=50 years) with no motor and cognitive deficits were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) screening test, the Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) and the NOT measure. Distributions of overall testing execution time, efficiency, accuracy, and MoCA and FAQ scores were compared between younger old adults (YOA) and older old adults (OOA). The results indicated a significant correlation between the NOT primary variables and the participants' age. Specifically, YOA exhibited faster execution times compared to OOA (U = 20, p < 0.001, rrb = 0.87), whereas the accuracy (U = 103, p = 0,091, rrb = 0.33) and efficiency (U = 110,50, p = 0,151, rrb = 0.28) of the YOA had lower scores. When examining correlations between the NOT and another IADL measure, the FAQ, only the execution time showed a statistically nonsignificant moderate correlation. Overall, the results suggest that the NOT is a promising tool for assessing IADL capabilities, with evidence supporting its practical feasibility and adaptability across various settings. As such, it holds potential as a valuable instrument for both clinical practice and experimental research.