Development and validation of a French Canadian version of the falls Behavioral (FaB) Scale

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a French Canadian version of the Falls Behavioral (FaB) Scale and examine its psychometric properties. Methods: The FaB was adapted in French Canadian (FaB-FC) and validated according to standard guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of questionnaires. The internal consistency and construct validity of the FaB-FC were studied among 64 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and over. The concurrent validity and test–retest reliability of the FaB-FC were respectively examined among subsamples including 31 bilingual and 33 unilingual participants. Results: The FaB-FC showed good concurrent validity with the original FaB (ICC₂ = 0.94; 0.87–0.97), as well as good test–retest reliability (ICC₂ = 0.94; 0.88–0.97). The FaB-FC also demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.91). Moreover, analyses showed significant associations of the FaB-FC scores with fear of falling and balance confidence scores, attesting to its construct validity. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the FaB-FC has sound psychometric properties. Since falls are associated with multiple risk factors, including behavioral factors, the FaB-FC is undoubtedly a relevant assessment tool for clinicians and researchers working toward fall prevention among French-speaking community-dwelling seniors.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Fall-related behaviors should be addressed in the assessment of community-dwelling seniors’ fall risks.

• Like the original FaB, the French Canadian version of the tool (FaB-FC) is valid and reliable for assessing fall-related behaviors.

• The FaB-FC is a relevant complementary assessment tool for identifying seniors at risk for falls.

• The FaB-FC could also be useful in guiding fall prevention interventions and measuring the impact of these interventions on seniors’ behaviors.

• Aging
• falls
• fall prevention
• fall-related behaviors
• fall risk assessment
• psychometric properties

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank seniors who participated in the study and the experts involved in the cross-validation of the FaB-FC. They would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Myriam Beaulieu who coordinated the first phases of the project, Anne-Marie Belley who collected data for the psychometric study, and Francine Giroux who guided the statistical analyses. The authors are also grateful to the Comité aviseur pour la recherche clinique (CAREC) of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal who financially supported this project.