scholarly journals Psychometric Properties of Strength and Cardiovascular Endurance Items of The Persian Version of Functional Fitness Assessment Test in the Iranian Elderly

Salmand ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-235
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Shoaei ◽  
◽  
Amir Shams ◽  
Robab Sahaf ◽  
Parvaneh Shamsipour Dehkordi ◽  
...  

Objectives: The present research was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of Persian version of strength and cardiovascular endurance items of functional fitness assessment test in Iranian elderly. Methods & Materials: The statistical sample consisted of 200 elderly (100 males and 100 females) with mean aged 68.05±5.21 years old that were selected by random cluster sampling in Tehran city. The tools used included strength and cardiovascular endurance items of Functional Fitness Assessment test for adults over 60 years (FFAA). Content, structure and concurrent methods was used to evaluate validity. For evaluation of concurrent validity, the hand grip and treadmill tools were used. In order to assess the reliability, the temporal and internal consistency methods were used. Results: The results showed that the content validity of strength and cardiovascular endurance items were confirmed (90%-95%). Results of construct validity showed that the Pearson correlation coefficient between age with strength and cardiovascular endurance items is meaningful significant (0.71-0.75). Results of Pearson correlation coefficient test showed that the correlation between strength and cardiovascular endurance items and laboratory tests related to each of them were obtained for high levels (0.90-0.96). Therefore, the correlation obtained indicates the concurrent validity of this test items. Also, results showed that the test-retest interclass correlation test with a one-week interval, indicate that the temporal stability is acceptable (0.81-0.85). Furthermore, the results of Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed that the internal consistency of each item was acceptable (α>0.75). Conclusion: Results indicate that the strength and cardiovascular endurance items in elderly sample are valid and reliable, and the Persian version of these items can be used to assess the functional fitness among Iranian elderly people.

2019 ◽  
pp. 174-180
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Sadat Bateni ◽  
Maryam Rahmatian ◽  
Ahmad Kaviani ◽  
Sebastian Simard ◽  
Mehdi Soleimani ◽  
...  

Background: This study aimed to translate and validate the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) questionnaire into Persian and to investigate its psychometric properties. Methods: The FCRI was translated to Persian using a linguistic methodology according to WHO guidelines. A total of 450 breast cancer survivors who had the following inclusion criteria were included: time elapse of more than six months after the treatment prior to the study; absence ofobjective markers of recurrence, fluency in the Persian language, and signing the informed consent. Internal consistency was estimated with Cronbach's α coefficient and test-retest reliability with Interclass correlation.  Concurrent validity was estimated through Pearson’s correlation between the FCRI and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to evaluate dimensionality. Results: The Persian version was acceptable for patients. The content validity index (CVI) was 0.80.  The instrument had good test-retest reliability (ICC= 0.96) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.86).  PCA and CFA indicated that the factor structure of the Persian version was similar to the original questionnaire and had acceptable goodness of fit.  Correlations between the FCRI and HADS was remarkable (r= 0.252 – 0.639), indicating acceptable concurrent validity. Conclusions: The Persian version of FCRI could be considered a good cross-cultural equivalent for the original English version. The questionnaire was a reliable and valid instrument in terms of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and dimensionality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Dominguez-Olivan ◽  
Angel Gasch-Gallen ◽  
Esmeralda Aguas-Garcia ◽  
Ana Bengoetxea

Abstract Background The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) and its abbreviated version, the Mini-BESTest are clinical examination of balance impairment, but its psychometric properties have not yet been tested in European Spanish. We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of BESTest and Mini-BESTest in Spanish in community-dwelling elderly people. Methods We designed a cross-sectional transcultural adaptation and validation study. Convenience sample of thirty (N-30) adults aged 65 to 89 years old without balance problems were recruited. Two physiotherapists assessed participants at the same time. Internal consistency of Spanish BESTest and Mini-BESTest was carried out by obtaining the Cronbach Alpha. The reproducibility between raters was studied with the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated by comparing the relationship between the BESTest, mini-BESTest, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Results BESTest and Mini-BESTest showed good internal consistency. BESTest and Mini-BESTest total scores showed an excellent inter-rater agreement. There was a significant correlation between total score of the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest (r = 0.65; p < 0.001). BESTest had a moderate association with BBS and a strong association with FES-I. Mini-BESTest had a fair correlation with BBS and FES-I. Total scores obtained by women at BESTest and at Mini-BESTest were significantly lower than those reached by men. The differences observed in all the test when disaggregating data by sex require further research. Conclusions Spanish versions of BESTest and Mini-BESTest are comprehensible for new raters. They are reliable tools to provide information on which particular balance systems show impairment in community dwelling older adults. Elderly women had a worse quality of balance and a greater perception of their risk of falling. Trial registration This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with NCT 03403218 on 2018/01/17.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-197
Author(s):  
Zahra Saad Al- Abboudi ◽  
Intisar Kamal Al-Anni

Academic boredom is one of the most emotional problems that arouse an individual's fatigueness and lowers his interest. This is because of the environment's low efficiency and of spending long monotonous time. This state is characterized by having lack of interest, difficulties in concentration, and the desire to leave the class.  It is considered one of the most prominent forms of boredom widespread among students and the most severe and dangerous one that has negative effects and severe psychological and social problems. The current research aims to investigate a randomly selected sample of 335 students from the first and third grades at the directorates of education (Karkh and Rusafa) who suffers from academic boredom. Similarily, a statistical analysis sample of (350) students was selected. The researchers constructed the academic boredom scale, and then ensured its psychometric properties (Validity, Reliability, Discrimination). Furthermore, they used some statistical means, t-test for one and two Independent samples, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results have shown that the study sample suffers from academic boredom at a low level. There are no significant differences at the level (0.05) on the scale of academic boredom according to the gender variable (male-female). There are statistically significant differences at the level (0.05) on the scale of academic boredom according to the grade variable (first and third grades) at a medium level and in favor of the third grade.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-215
Author(s):  
Adele Isanazar ◽  
◽  
Mahnaz Fallahi-Khesht Masjedi ◽  
Robabeh Soleimani ◽  
Fatemeh Eslamdoust-Siahestalkhi ◽  
...  

Background: The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) is an approved self-report assessment tool that includes various domains of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Objectives: This study was done to evaluate the psychometric properties of the OCI-CV in a sample of youth with OCD. Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study. The subjects were 107 children and adolescents, 7 to 17 years old admitted to the Shafa hospital and Gill psychiatric center in the north of Iran in 2017-2018. The subjects with the diagnosis of OCD based on a diagnostic interview by a youth psychiatrist based on the DSM-5 were included in the study. They were assessed by the OCI-CV, Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and children depression inventory (CDI). Data were analyzed by SPSS v. 22, using Cronbach alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: Youth with the Mean±SD age 11.18±3.1 years participated in the study. Results showed that 51% of the samples were girls. The internal consistency assessed by the Cronbach alpha for the total scale was 0.75, indicating good reliability. The Pearson correlation coefficient between OCI-CV and RCMAS was 0.584 (P=0.01), and between OCI-CV and CDI was 0.232 (P=0.05), showing an excellent concurrent validity. Construct validity showed that all subscales had a high correlation with the total score of the questionnaire and the correlation coefficient was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The Persian version of the OCI-CV has good psychometric characteristics in the clinical sample of youth with OCD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Pires ◽  
Simone Gonçalves de Assis ◽  
Joviana Quintes Avanci ◽  
Renata Pires Pesce

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the General Functioning Scale of the Family, a subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device, for the Brazilian population. METHODS The General Functioning Scale of the Family was translated into Portuguese and administered to 500 guardians of children in the second grade of elementary school in public schools of Sao Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil. The types of equivalences investigated were: conceptual and of items, semantic, operational, and measurement. The study involved discussions with experts, translations and back-translations of the instrument, and psychometric assessment. Reliability and validity studies were carried out by internal consistency testing (Cronbach’s alpha), Guttman split-half correlation model, Pearson correlation coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis. Associations between General Functioning of the Family and variables theoretically associated with the theme (father’s or mother’s drunkenness and violence between parents) were estimated by odds ratio. RESULTS Semantic equivalence was between 90.0% and 100%. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.81, indicating good internal consistency of the instrument. Pearson correlation coefficient ranged between 0.303 and 0.549. Statistical association was found between the general functioning of the family score and the theoretically related variables, as well as good fit quality of the confirmatory analysis model. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate the feasibility of administering the instrument to the Brazilian population, as it is easy to understand and a good measurement of the construct of interest.


Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Batterham ◽  
Alison L. Calear ◽  
Helen Christensen

Background: There are presently no validated scales to adequately measure the stigma of suicide in the community. The Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) is a new scale containing 58 descriptors of a “typical” person who completes suicide. Aims: To validate the SOSS as a tool for assessing stigma toward suicide, to examine the scale’s factor structure, and to assess correlates of stigmatizing attitudes. Method: In March 2010, 676 staff and students at the Australian National University completed the scale in an online survey. The construct validity of the SOSS was assessed by comparing its factors with factors extracted from the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ). Results: Three factors were identified: stigma, isolation/depression, and glorification/normalization. Each factor had high internal consistency and strong concurrent validity with the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire. More than 25% of respondents agreed that people who suicided were “weak,” “reckless,” or “selfish.” Respondents who were female, who had a psychology degree, or who spoke only English at home were less stigmatizing. A 16-item version of the scale also demonstrated robust psychometric properties. Conclusions: The SOSS is the first attitudes scale designed to directly measure the stigma of suicide in the community. Results suggest that psychoeducation may successfully reduce stigma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
Vicente Benavides-Córdoba ◽  
Mauricio Palacios Gómez

Introduction: Animal models have been used to understand the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension, to describe the mechanisms of action and to evaluate promising active ingredients. The monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension model is the most used animal model. In this model, invasive and non-invasive hemodynamic variables that resemble human measurements have been used. Aim: To define if non-invasive variables can predict hemodynamic measures in the monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension model. Materials and Methods: Twenty 6-week old male Wistar rats weighing between 250-300g from the bioterium of the Universidad del Valle (Cali - Colombia) were used in order to establish that the relationships between invasive and non-invasive variables are sustained in different conditions (healthy, hypertrophy and treated). The animals were organized into three groups, a control group who was given 0.9% saline solution subcutaneously (sc), a group with pulmonary hypertension induced with a single subcutaneous dose of Monocrotaline 30 mg/kg, and a group with pulmonary hypertension with 30 mg/kg of monocrotaline treated with Sildenafil. Right ventricle ejection fraction, heart rate, right ventricle systolic pressure and the extent of hypertrophy were measured. The functional relation between any two variables was evaluated by the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: It was found that all correlations were statistically significant (p <0.01). The strongest correlation was the inverse one between the RVEF and the Fulton index (r = -0.82). The Fulton index also had a strong correlation with the RVSP (r = 0.79). The Pearson correlation coefficient between the RVEF and the RVSP was -0.81, meaning that the higher the systolic pressure in the right ventricle, the lower the ejection fraction value. Heart rate was significantly correlated to the other three variables studied, although with relatively low correlation. Conclusion: The correlations obtained in this study indicate that the parameters evaluated in the research related to experimental pulmonary hypertension correlate adequately and that the measurements that are currently made are adequate and consistent with each other, that is, they have good predictive capacity.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Charles Carlson ◽  
Vanessa-Rose Turpin ◽  
Ahmad Suliman ◽  
Carl Ade ◽  
Steve Warren ◽  
...  

Background: The goal of this work was to create a sharable dataset of heart-driven signals, including ballistocardiograms (BCGs) and time-aligned electrocardiograms (ECGs), photoplethysmograms (PPGs), and blood pressure waveforms. Methods: A custom, bed-based ballistocardiographic system is described in detail. Affiliated cardiopulmonary signals are acquired using a GE Datex CardioCap 5 patient monitor (which collects ECG and PPG data) and a Finapres Medical Systems Finometer PRO (which provides continuous reconstructed brachial artery pressure waveforms and derived cardiovascular parameters). Results: Data were collected from 40 participants, 4 of whom had been or were currently diagnosed with a heart condition at the time they enrolled in the study. An investigation revealed that features extracted from a BCG could be used to track changes in systolic blood pressure (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.54 +/− 0.15), dP/dtmax (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.51 +/− 0.18), and stroke volume (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.54 +/− 0.17). Conclusion: A collection of synchronized, heart-driven signals, including BCGs, ECGs, PPGs, and blood pressure waveforms, was acquired and made publicly available. An initial study indicated that bed-based ballistocardiography can be used to track beat-to-beat changes in systolic blood pressure and stroke volume. Significance: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other database that includes time-aligned ECG, PPG, BCG, and continuous blood pressure data is available to the public. This dataset could be used by other researchers for algorithm testing and development in this fast-growing field of health assessment, without requiring these individuals to invest considerable time and resources into hardware development and data collection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Kordi Yoosefinejad ◽  
Fatemeh Karjalian ◽  
Marzieh Momennasab ◽  
Shahrokh Ezzatzadegan Jahromi

Abstract Background Hemodialysis is considered a major therapeutic method for patients with chronic kidney disease. Pruritus is a common complaint of hemodialysis patients. The 5-D pruritus scale is amongst the most common tools to evaluate several dimensions of itch. Psychometric properties of the 5-D scale have not been evaluated in Persian speaking population with hemodialysis; hence, the objective of this study was to assess reliability and validity of the Persian version of the scale. Methods Ninety hemodialysis patients (men: 50, women: 40, mean age: 54.4 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. The final Persian version of 5-D scale was given to the participants. Tests Compared: One-third of the participants completed the scale twice within 3–7 days apart to evaluate test- retest reliability. Other psychometric properties including internal consistency, absolute reliability, convergent, discriminative and construct validity, floor/ceiling effects were also evaluated. Results The Persian 5-D scale has strong test-retest reliability (ICC= 0.98) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.99). Standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change were 0.33 and 0.91, respectively. Regarding convergent validity, the scale had moderate correlation with numeric rating scale (r =0.67) and quality of life questionnaire related to itch (r = 0.59). Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors within the scale. No floor or ceiling effect was found for the scale. Conclusion The Persian version of 5-D the itching scale is a brief instrument with acceptable reliability and validity. Therefore, the scale could be used by experts, nurses, and other health service providers to evaluate pruritus among Persian speaking hemodialysis patients.


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