The Reliability and Validity of a Pediatric Back Outcome Measure

This study examined the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the MFS used in routine clinical assessments. Design: Retrospective Cohort Study. Setting: Pediatric sports medicine specialty clinic. Interventions: Patients presenting with a chief concern of back pain over 1 year (n = 93) were enrolled in the study. Study subjects were administered the MFS and the revised Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at each visit as part of routine clinical care. Main Outcome Measures: Reliability of the MFS was assessed by calculating Cronbach alpha (α). Concurrent validity was determined by measuring Spearman coefficient (rs) for the correlations between the MFS and ODI. Results: Ninety-three patients (50 female, 43 male), mean age 14.1 ± 2.3 years were enrolled and 242 clinic encounters (71 initial/171 follow-up visits) analyzed. The MFS had acceptable item reliability (α = 0.786) and concurrent validity: the MFS and ODI were strongly and positively correlated [rs = 0.824 (P
Source: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research