Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2618524 | Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal | 2011 | 10 Pages |
Fall events and fear of falling increase with age in healthy and frail older people. Fear of falling has been identified as a significant falls risk factor. The aims of this study were to establish the interrater and test-retest reliability and predictive validity of the fear of falling scale (FOFS). Sixty-nine subjects, 55 female and 14 male subjects, aged 65–97 years were included. Subjects were asked to respond to the FOFS on three occasions to test interrater and test-retest reliability. In the absence of a suitable comparative test for concurrent validity, balance predictive formulae were developed and relationship to Functional Reach Test, Timed up & go, and Step Test performance were compared. Intraclass coefficient (2,1) of interrater and test-retest reliability was 0.96 and 0.94, respectively. The Cronbach α for the FOFS scores collected ranged from 0.94 to 0.97. From the results of the multiple regression analyses, prediction formulae for Functional Reach Test, Timed up & go test, and Step Test from the FOFS scores were generated. These formulae then predicted balance performance by the subjects. The interrater and test-retest reliability and the predictive validity of the FOFS were established.