Older Adult Pedestrian Behaviour Questionnaire (OAPBQ): Development and Psychometric Validation

Road traffic crashes remain a significant cause of mortality among older adults, yet there is a lack of standardised instruments to assess their pedestrian behaviour. This study aimed to develop and validate a psychometric tool specifically tailored for older pedestrians to capture their unique behaviours in traffic behaviours and risk patterns. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Tabriz, Iran, from May 2023 to April 2024, involving 600 participants aged 60 years and older. Using a multistage cluster sampling method, individuals were recruited from four distinct socioeconomic regions of the city. The original 29-item Pedestrian Behaviour Questionnaire (PBQ) was expanded to 39 items through literature review and expert consultation to address age-specific traffic contexts and mobility challenges not covered in the previous version. The questionnaire was refined to 18 items following content and face validity evaluations. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal component analysis and varimax rotation on half the sample (n = 300), followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the remaining participants (n = 300). The final Older Adult Pedestrian Behaviour Questionnaire (OAPBQ) consisted of 16 items grouped into four domains: Traffic Rule Compliance, Preferences, Distraction, and Positive Behaviours, accounting for 53.8% of the total variance. CFA results indicated acceptable model fit (GFI = 0.91, CFI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.09). Reliability, measured by Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.500. Higher scores indicated a greater frequency of engaging in specific behaviours with the highest behavioural scores observed in the Preferences domain and the lowest scores in the Distraction domain. The OAPBQ provides a valid and reliable instrument for assessing older adult pedestrian behaviours and addresses a long-standing gap in older adult pedestrian safety research in Iran. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and clinicians to develop targeted safety interventions and educational programs aimed at reducing injury risk among aging populations.