Psychometric Properties of the Malnutrition Risk Perception Scale-Short Version for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background and Purpose: Scale simplification is a key trend in psychometric research, aiming to reduce the measurement burden while preserving reliability, validity, and applicability. This study aims to develop a more efficient short version of the Malnutrition Risk Perception Scale (MRPS) for older adults by simplifying the original 35-item version (MRPS-35). Methods: Genetic algorithms were used to optimize the MRPS-35, resulting in the short MRPS. Reliability, validity, and structural consistency were tested, and measurement invariance across gender groups was assessed, including configural, weak, and strong invariance. Results: The scale was simplified to 12 items (MRPS-12), which demonstrated strong reliability, validity, and structural consistency, showing high comparability to the original MRPS-35. Measurement invariance testing confirmed configural, weak, and strong invariance, indicating the scale's stability across gender groups. Conclusions: As a more efficient assessment tool, the MRPS-12 holds significant potential for community use, enabling the rapid identification of malnutrition risk perception among older adults and supporting tailored nursing interventions.