Citation

van Vliet R, Hoang P, Lord S, Gandevia S, Delbaere K. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2013; 94(5): 883-889.

Affiliation

Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia; Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, the Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2012.10.034

PMID

23246897

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate psychometric properties of 16-item and 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN: validation and prospective cohort study SETTING: People with multiple sclerosis living in metropolitan Sydney, Australia PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and sixty nine community-dwelling people with MS (aged 21-73 years) who were referred to Multiple Sclerosis Australia for physiotherapy assessment. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FES-I scores and a range of socio-demographic, physical and neuropsychological measures. RESULTS: The mean score for the 16-item FES-I was 34.9 (SD = 11.2) and the mean score for 7-item FES-I was 14.7 (SD = 4.7). FES-I total scores were normally distributed: skewness of 0.35 (SEM 0.19) for the 16-item and 0.47 (SEM 0.19) for the 7-item FES-I, indicating the absence of floor and ceiling effects. Internal reliability was excellent with Cronbach's α values of 0.94 (16-item) and 0.86 (7-item). Rasch analyses indicated that the structure and measurement properties were better for the 7-item FES-I compared to the 16-item FES-I. Construct validity of both scales was supported by sensitivity to group differences relating to demographic characteristics and fall risk factors. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that both 16-item and 7-item versions of the FES-I provide valuable information about fear of falling in people with MS. However, the 7-item version of FES-I has better psychometric properties in people with MS.

Language: en