Development of an Activity Card Sort for Australian adults aged 18-64 years

The Activity Card Sort (ACS) is an interview-based, client-centred tool that measures the activity engagement of older adults aged 65 years and above. The tool consists of photos which clients are asked to sort into categories to reflect their previous and current level of engagement. The activities that older adults engage in may differ to that of younger adults and there is a need to explore the development of an ACS Australia for adults aged 18-64 years.

The Delphi survey method as applied by previous ACS development was used in this study. Purposeful and snowball sampling were employed to recruit participants between the ages of 18 and 64 years who were Australian citizens or residents. Demographic information was obtained via a questionnaire. There were two stages in the study. The first Delphi survey generated, selected and finalised activities and the second Delphi survey generated, selected and finalised categories.

Australian citizens and residents were involved in the development of the activities (n = 61) and categories (n = 65). The final tool includes 85 activities sorted into three broad categories representing personal care, daily life and home maintenance; rest and relaxation; and high and low impact activities.

This study has resulted in the development of a preliminary version of an ACS for adults aged 18-64 years. Further work is required to determine the psychometric properties of the tool.