scholarly journals Validation of Igbo Version of the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Validation Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye ◽  
Christopher Olusanjo Akosile ◽  
Fatai Adesina Maruf ◽  
Ifeoma Uchenna Onwuakagba ◽  
Sunday Tobias Urama

Abstract Background: Fear of falling (FOF) is a very pervasive problem among older adults. Consequently, many scales have been developed for its assessment. The Modified Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES) is one of the most popular FOF scales. The MFES was originally developed for use in developed countries, and thus may not be entirely suitable for use in developing countries due to cultural and environmental differences between the two country categories. This study was therefore designed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the MFES to Igbo culture and environment among community-dwelling older adults in Nnewi community using established guidelines. Methods: The original English version of the MFES (E-MFES) was translated, synthesized, back-translated, subjected to expert panel review, and pretested before producing the final Igbo version of the MFES (I-MFES). The E-MFES, the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International were randomly administered to consecutively recruited 109 consenting older adult residents of Nnewi (43.1% males; mean age=74.45±8.78 years). Concurrent, convergent and structural validities and internal consistency of the I-MFES were assessed at 0.05 level of significance. Results: All the 14 items on the E-MFES were retained on the I-MFES. The I-MFES exhibited the same structure as the E-MFES. The correlations between the corresponding scores on the I-MFES and the M-FES were all excellent (r=0.97-1.00) indicating evidence of concurrent validity of the I-MFES. The correlation between the total scores on the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International was excellent (r=9.3) indicating evidence of convergent validity. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the I-MFES is 0.97 showing evidence of excellent internal consistency. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of some aspects of validity and reliability of the I-MFES.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye ◽  
Christopher Olusanjo Akosile ◽  
Fatai Adesina Maruf ◽  
Ifeoma Uchenna Onwuakagba ◽  
Sunday Tobias Urama

Abstract Background: Fear of falling (FOF) is a very pervasive problem among older adults. Consequently, many scales have been developed for its assessment. The Modified Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES) is one of the most popular FOF scales. The MFES was originally developed for use in developed countries, and thus may not be entirely suitable for use in developing countries due to cultural and environmental differences between the two country categories. This study was therefore designed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the MFES to Igbo culture and environment among community-dwelling older adults in Nnewi community using established guidelines.Methods: The original English version of the MFES (E-MFES) was translated, synthesized, back-translated, subjected to expert panel review, and pretested before producing the final Igbo version of the MFES (I-MFES). The E-MFES, the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International were randomly administered to consecutively recruited 109 consenting older adult residents of Nnewi (43.1% males; mean age=74.45±8.78 years). Concurrent, convergent and structural validities and internal consistency of the I-MFES were assessed at 0.05 level of significance. Results: All the 14 items on the E-MFES were retained on the I-MFES. There was no significant difference between the corresponding scores on the E-MFES and the I-MFES (p<0.05). The correlations between the corresponding scores on the I-MFES and the M-FES were all excellent (r=0.97-1.00) indicating evidence of concurrent validity of the I-MFES. The correlation between the total scores on the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International was excellent (r=9.3) indicating evidence of convergent validity. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the I-MFES is 0.97 showing evidence of excellent internal consistency. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of some aspects of validity and reliability of the I-MFES.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye ◽  
Christopher Olusanjo Akosile ◽  
Fatai Adesina Maruf ◽  
Ifeoma Uchenna Onwuakagba ◽  
Sunday Tobias Urama

Abstract Background: Fear of falling (FOF) is a very pervasive problem among older adults. Consequently, many scales have been developed for its assessment. The Modified Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES) is one of the most popular FOF scales. The MFES was originally developed for use in developed countries, and thus may not be entirely suitable for use in developing countries due to cultural and environmental differences between the two country categories. This study was therefore designed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the MFES to Igbo culture and environment among community-dwelling older adults in Nnewi community using established guidelines.Methods : The original English version of the MFES (E-MFES) was translated, synthesized, back-translated, subjected to expert panel review, and pretested before producing the final Igbo version of the MFES (I-MFES). The E-MFES, the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International were randomly administered to consecutively recruited 109 consenting older adult residents of Nnewi (43.1% males; mean age=74.45±8.78 years). Obtained data was analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman rank-order test, Cronbach’s alpha and principal component analysis at 0.05 level of significance.Results : All the 14 items on the E-MFES were retained on the I-MFES. There was no significant difference between the corresponding scores on the E-MFES and the I-MFES (p<0.05). The correlations between the corresponding scores on the I-MFES and the M-FES were all excellent (rho=0.97-1.00) indicating evidence of concurrent validity of the I-MFES. The correlation between the total scores on the I-MFES and the Short Falls Efficacy International was excellent (rho=9.3) indicating evidence of convergent validity. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the I-MFES is 0.97 showing evidence of excellent internal consistency.Conclusion : The I-MFES is a valid and reliable tool, and thus can be used as an outcome measure on Igbo older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 813-813
Author(s):  
Ladda Thiamwong

Abstract An instrument to measure healthy aging has not been validated in older adults with and without fear of falling, expressing a methodological gap that limits research in this field. This cross-sectional study aimed to validate the 35-item Healthy Aging Instrument (HAI) in adults aged 60 years and over. 389 community-dwelling older adults from two provinces in Thailand were recruited. The mean age of participants was 70.4 years, and 63% were women. The HAI showed good construct validity and internal reliability in the total group and subgroups with respect to levels of fear of falling. All correlations among the HAI, Fall Risk Assessment Test, Fall Efficacy Scale-International, and full tandem stance test were significant. While Western cultures value the expression of thoughts and feelings, it is not particularly encouraged in Asian cultures. The HAI demonstrates good psychometric properties and provides the basis for measuring healthy aging in Asian older adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Maria Alves Marques-Vieira ◽  
Luís Manuel Mota de Sousa ◽  
Cristina Rosa Soares Lavareda Baixinho ◽  
Maria Gorete Mendonça dos Reis ◽  
Francisco Javier Pérez-Rivas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective to determine the psychometric properties of the international 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale. Method a psychometric study. Convenience sample consisting of 170 older adults living in the Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal. A two-part instrument was used (sociodemographic characterization and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International-Portugal). The starting point was the translation and transcultural adaptation already carried out for the Falls Efficacy Scale - International (16 items). Construct validity (factorial analysis and discriminant validity) and the reliability (Cronbach's α) of the 7-item scale were evaluated. Previous authorization was obtained from the Ethics Commission and from the people involved. Results in the exploratory factorial analysis, the International 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale presents an explained variance of 65.8%. The Spearman's correlation between the score obtained based on the 7 items and the score obtained based on the 16 items is significant and very strong (r=0.987, p<0.0001). Internal consistency was 0.958. Conclusion the validity and reliability study of the International 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale revealed that it is an adequate scale for the evaluation of the fear of falling in the community-dwelling older adults.


Author(s):  
Ana Filipa Cardoso ◽  
Elzbieta Bobrowicz-Campos ◽  
Luísa Teixeira-Santos ◽  
Daniela Cardoso ◽  
Filipa Couto ◽  
...  

Early detection of frailty may prevent or delay adverse health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. In Portugal, there are currently no valid multidimensional frailty screening tools. SUNFRAIL is a user-friendly multidimensional tool for frailty screening that can be used in primary care. Aims: (i) to determine the validity and reliability of the European Portuguese version of the SUNFRAIL tool for use in community-dwelling older adults; (ii) to assess the screening capacity of this version of SUNFRAIL using Fried’s phenotypic model criteria for frailty as a reference test. Methods: Cross-sectional pilot study in a convenience sample of 128 community-dwelling older adults. Objective and subjective data were collected. Internal consistency, concurrent validity, sensitivity, and specificity (ROC curve analysis) were examined. Results: Internal consistency was low. Significant moderate to strong correlations were found between different domains and the total score. The differences between robust, pre-frail, and frail older adults were significant. SUNFRAIL was also correlated with multimorbidity. Sensitivity and specificity were satisfactory. Conclusions: The European Portuguese version of the SUNFRAIL tool is a promising frailty screening tool for community-dwelling older adults to be routinely used in clinical practice. However, more consistent results on its validity and reliability are needed to be used nationwide.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 791-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuo-Yu Chen ◽  
Jerri D. Edwards ◽  
Megan Janke

This current study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Geriatric Fear of Falling Measure (GFFM) among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Eighty-eight participants were assessed on the GFFM together with demographics, falls, and fear of falling and falls-efficacy measures at baseline and an 8-week follow-up visit. Cronbach’s alpha, regression analyses, and correlation analyses were used to examine the psychometric properties of the GFFM. The results showed that the GFFM demonstrated good construct validity and reliability among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Our findings provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the GFFM. Further study with a larger and diverse sample is needed to determine whether the GFFM has potential as a quick screening tool of fear of falling in clinical settings.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Makino ◽  
S Lee ◽  
S Bae ◽  
I Chiba ◽  
K Harada ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to examine the prospective associations of physical frailty with future falls and fear of falling (FOF) among community-dwelling older adults. Methods A prospective cohort study with a 48-month follow-up was conducted in a Japanese community. Participants were 2469 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older who completed baseline and follow-up assessments at intervals of 48±2 months. Primary outcomes were recent falls (defined as at least one fall within the past year) and FOF (determined by response to “Are you afraid of falling?”) at follow-up survey. Physical frailty, operationalized by the frailty phenotype (slowness, weakness, exhaustion, weight loss, and low activity) based on the criteria of the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study (J-CHS), was also assessed as a predictor of future falls and FOF. Results Multivariate logistic regression showed that pre-frailty or frailty increase the risk of not only future falls (OR: 1.57; 95%CI = 1.20-2.05) but also FOF (OR: 1.33; 95%CI = 1.05-1.69). In addition, the relationship between baseline frailty status and future falls remained significant after adjusting for baseline FOF (OR: 1.55; 95%CI = 1.19-2.02), and the relationship between baseline frailty status and future FOF also remained significant after adjusting for baseline falls (OR: 1.32; 95%CI = 1.04-1.68). Conclusions Frailty status may predict future falls and FOF among community-dwelling older adults. Strategies to prevent frailty may be beneficial to prevent not only future falls but also future FOF in a community setting. Impact Falls and FOF have a close relationship but a different clinical meaning. Older adults with physical frailty may require monitoring as high-risk not only for falls but also for FOF.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Giovanna De Roza ◽  
David Wei Liang Ng ◽  
Blessy Koottappal Mathew ◽  
Teena Jose ◽  
Ling Jia Goh ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundFalls in older adults is a common problem worldwide. Fear of falling (FoF) is a consequence of falls which has far-reaching implications including activity restriction, functional decline and reduced quality of life. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with FoF in a segment of Singapore’s community-dwelling older adults. MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study recruited a convenience sample of adults aged 65 and above from 4 primary care clinics from September 2020 to March 2021. Data were collected on demographic factors and clinical factors including history of falls and frailty as determined by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). FoF was measured using the Short Falls Efficacy Scale–International (Short FES-I), cut-off score of 14 and above indicated high FoF. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of high FoF.ResultsOut of 360 older adults, 78.1% were Chinese and 59.7% females. The mean age was 78.3 years and 76 (21.1%) had a history of falls in the past six months. Almost half (43.1%) were mildly to moderately frail and most (80.6%) had three or more chronic conditions. The mean FoF score was 15.5 (SD 5.97) and 60.8% reported high FoF. Logistic regression found that Malay ethnicity (OR = 5.81, 95% CI 1.77 – 19.13), use of walking aids (OR = 3.67, 95% CI = 1.54 – 8.77) and increasing frailty were significant predictors for high FoF. The odds of high FoF were significantly higher in pre frail older adults (OR = 6.87, 95% CI = 2.66 – 17.37), mildly frail older adults (OR =18.58, 95% CI = 4.88 – 70.34) and moderately frail older adults (OR = 144.78, 95% CI = 13.86 – 1512.60).ConclusionsFoF is a prevalent and compelling issue in community-dwelling older adults, particularly those with frailty. The demographic and clinical factors identified in this study will be helpful to develop targeted and tailored interventions for FoF.


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