Transcultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of a European Spanish Language Version of the Falls Behavioral Scale

Background and Purpose: The Falls Behavioral Scale (FaB) is considered a valid and reliable tool for measuring fall risk factors related to behavior among older people. It was originally developed and validated in Australia by Clemson et al. The purpose of this study was to perform a transcultural adaptation and validation of the FaB to European Spanish. Methods: The transcultural adaptation of the questionnaire followed the methodology structured and validated by Beaton et al. The prefinal version in European Spanish was tested in a pilot study utilizing 15 participants. A total of 167 participants older than 60 years and capable of walking independently, with or without gait assistive devices, were recruited for the study. Internal consistency and reliability were analyzed using Cronbach α and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with a 95% confidence interval. Convergent validity was assessed using Spearman's coefficient, and correlations were evaluated with the European Spanish versions of the EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC-16). Results: Good internal consistency was obtained (α = .714) as was test-retest reliability of the overall questionnaire (ICC = 0.97). For each item, good test-retest reliability was achieved, obtaining values for ICC ranging between 0.63 and 0.91 (P
Source: Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy - Category: Physiotherapy Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research