@article{ref1,
title="Fear of falling is associated with recurrent falls in people with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal cohort study",
journal="International journal of MS care",
year="2015",
author="Mazumder, Rajarshi and Lambert, William E. and Nguyen, Thuan and Bourdette, Dennis N. and Cameron, Michelle H.",
volume="17",
number="4",
pages="164-170",
abstract="BACKGROUND: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) fall frequently, and there are few clinically valid tools to measure the risk factors for falls. We assessed the unidimensionality of the 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), a measure of fear of falling, and determined whether the 7-item FES-I is associated with recurrent falls in people with MS. <br><br>METHODS: Falls were counted prospectively for 6 months using fall calendars in 58 people with MS (age, 18-50 years; Expanded Disability Status Scale score, 0-6). The FES-I was administered at baseline, and its unidimensionality was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis. The relationship between FES-I score and future falls, after adjusting for recurrent falls in the past year, was assessed by logistic regression. <br><br>RESULTS: Fifty-four participants who completed all assessments were included in the analysis. Goodness-of-fit indices confirmed a single-factor solution for the 7-item FES-I (discrepancy χ(2), P =.101; Tucker-Lewis index, 0.953; comparative fit index, 0.969; root mean square error of approximation, 0.098). There was a significant association between fear of falling and falls in the following 3 months, independent of recurrent falls in the past year (odds ratio = 1.22, 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.43, P =.016). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The 7-item FES-I demonstrates good construct validity, allowing the total score to be used as a measure of fear of falling in people with MS. Fear of falling, as measured by the 7-item FES-I, is associated with future recurrent falls independent of past recurrent falls in people with MS.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1537-2073",
doi="10.7224/1537-2073.2014-042",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2014-042"
}