TABLE 1.
Key Adherence Predictors in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)
| Construct | Measure | Items | Subscales | Use | Reliability and validity | Sample item |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic variables | ||||||
| Age, marital status, income, education, insurance status | Multiple single item | 5 | — | Wide | — | What is your age? |
| Psychosocial variables | ||||||
| Optimism | Life Orientation Test21 Revised (LOT-R) | 6 | 1 | Limited | α = .75 in WHI; r = −0.42 with depression | I’m always hopeful about my future (1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree) |
| Depression | Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale20 | 8 | 0 | Wide | α = .73; compares well to other clinical measures of depression | How often during the past week did you feel sad? |
| Hostility | Cynicism23 | 13 | 1 | Limited | α = .76; compares well to other trait negativity measures | I think most people would like to get ahead |
| Social strain | Social Relationships Scales26 | 4 | 1 | Limited | No data available; α = .72 in WHI | Of the people that are important to you, how many get on your nerves? |
| Social support | MOS Social Support Questionnaire25 | 9 | 4 | Wide | Some data available from MOS; α = .93 in WHI | How often is this available? Someone to love you and make you feel wanted? |
| Stressful life events | Life Events Scale27 | 11 | 0 | Wide | No info | Did your spouse or partner die? |
| Quality of Life | RAND–3628,29 | 36 | 8 | Wide | Numerous reliability and validity reports | How would you rate your current sense of well-being? |
| Health variables | ||||||
| Disease factors | Self-reported prior diagnosis and family history of outcomes | 6 | — | Wide | — | Have you ever been told by a health care provider that…? |
| Symptoms | Symptom checklist31 | 34 | No | Modified from PEPI | No psychometrics | Did not occur and how much did they bother you? |
| Use of personal supplements | WHI supplement use (interview) | 7 | — | — | — | Multivitamin (no minerals), multivitamin (minerals), etc. Dose, unit, pills per week, etc. |
| Health habits | Single item questions | 4 | — | Wide | — | Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your lifetime? |
| Procedural variables | ||||||
| Pill type | Swallowed, chewed, or switched between the two | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clinic identity | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Other RCT participation | Hormone trial, diet modification trial, or both | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4-week follow-up phone contact | Yes or No | — | — | — | — | — |
| Type of semiannual contact | In clinic or by phone | — | — | — | — | — |