The Facts on Aging Quiz: A Canadian Validation and Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

The “Facts on Aging Quiz” developed by Erdman Palmore has been extensively utilized as a brief, reliable, and easily administered test of factual knowledge on aging. This paper describes the applicability of the quiz in the Canadian context, and provides documentation for quiz items. Potential problems of misinterpretation of items relating to the rate of institutionalization and income levels, are noted. The paper also compares levels of knowledge and areas of misinformation among a sample (n=585) of undergraduates, university faculty, and health care professionals. The usefulness of the quiz in identifying differences in knowledge levels, is confirmed.