Additional file 2: Indicators included in questionnaire pre-test and post-test

Indicator / Description / # items / Scale
Loneliness / Loneliness scale of De Jong-Gierveld [1, 2] / Scale consists of 6 positively formulated statements indicating emotional loneliness and 5 negatively formulated statements indicating social loneliness / 11 / 3-point scale:
yes; more or less; no
Determinants of loneliness
Social participation / Social activities of daily life [3] / Scale consists of 8 domains of social participation: doing paid work, doing voluntary work, delivery of informal support, membership of a society, participating in cultural activities, participating in recreational activities, regular maintenance of social contacts, passive engagement / 26 / 4-point scale with extremes from (almost) daily to (almost) never
Network structure / Network typology of Wenger[4] / Questions about geographical distance from close relatives, contact frequency, and attending church or societies
Five network types are identified: family dependent, locally integrated, locally self-contained, wider community focused, private restricted. / 8 / Geographical distance: within same household, 1.5 km, 1.5-8 km, 9-24 km, 25-80 km, more than 80 km, n.a.
Frequency: daily, 2-3 times a week, at least weekly, at least monthly, never, n.a.
Social involvement: regularly, occasionally, never
Network function / Social Support List (SSL-12)[5] / Scale consists of 3 domains: everyday support, support in problem situations, esteem support
Statements concern experiences in regular social contacts / 12 / 4-point scale with extremes from never to very often
Health indicators
Functional status / Hierarchical abilities of daily living (ADL)[6] / Scale consists of 3 domains: basic activities of daily life (BADL), mobility activities of daily life (MADL), instrumental activities of daily life (IADL) / 13 / 3-point scale: without difficulty, with difficulty, only with assistance
Self-perceived health / Self-perceived health / Direct question: How would you describe your health in general? / 1 / 5-point scale with extremes from excellent to very bad
Mental health / Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5)
[7, 8] / Feelings of wellbeing in the previous month / 5 / 6-point scale with extremes from always to never

Additional file 2: Indicators included in questionnaire pre-test and post-test (Continued)

Personal indicators
Sense of coherence / Life Orientation Questionnaire [9, 10] / Scale consist of 3 domains: meaningfulness, manageability and comprehensibility
Questions concern several aspects of life / 13 / 7-point scale with extremes from fully agree to fully disagree
Life events / Life events[11, 12] / Appearance of life events in past 12 months / 12 / Yes or no

1.De Jong Gierveld J, Kamphuis F: The development of a Rasch-type loneliness scale. Applied Psychological Measurement 1985, 9:289-299.

2.De Jong Gierveld J, Van Tilburg T: Manual of the loneliness scale. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Social Research Methodology; 1999.

3.Hoeymans N, Timmermans JM, de Klerk MMY, de Boer AH, Deeg DJH, Poppelaars JL, Thissen F, Droogleever Fortuijn JC: Gezond actief: de relatie tussen ziekten, beperkingen en maatschappelijke participatie onder Nederlandse ouderen. Bilthoven: RIVM, Centrum Volksgezondheid Toekomst Verkenning; 2005.

4.Wenger GC: A network typology: From theory to practice. Journal of Aging Studies 1991, 5(2):147-162.

5.van Eijk LM, Kempen GI, van Sonderen FL: A short scale for measuring social support in the elderly: the SSL12-I. Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie 1994, 25(5):192-196.

6.Hoeymans N, Feskens EJM, Van Den Bos GAM, Kromhout D: Measuring functional status: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between performance and self-report (Zutphen Elderly Study 1990-1993). J Clin Epidemiol 1996, 49(10):1103-1110.

7.Friedman B, Heisel M, Delavan R: Validity of the SF-36 five-item mental health index for major depression in functionally impaired, community-dwelling elderly patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2005, 53(11):1978-1985.

8.Hoeymans N, Garssen AA, Westert GP, Verhaak PF: Measuring mental health of the Dutch population: a comparison of the GHQ-12 and the MHI-5. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2004, 2:23.

9.Antonovosky A: The structure and properties of the sense of cohrenece scale. Soc Sci Med 1993, 36(6):725-733.

10.Erkisson M, Lindström B: Validity of Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health 2005, 29:460-466.

11.Longitudinal Ageing Study Amserdam. Themes, emotional, life events [ Last updated: 28-02-2002. Access date: 08-09-2009.

12.Den Draak M, van Campen C: Gezond blijven. In Grijswaarden Monitor Ouderenbeleid 2008. Den Haag: Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau; 2008:64-81.

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