TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - Fear of falling is associated with recurrent falls in people with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal cohort study JO - International journal of MS care A1 - Mazumder, Rajarshi A1 - Lambert, William E. A1 - Nguyen, Thuan A1 - Bourdette, Dennis N. A1 - Cameron, Michelle H. SP - 164 EP - 170 VL - 17 IS - 4 N2 - 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.

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.

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).

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.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1537-2073 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2014-042 ID - ref1 ER -