Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Falls Behavioral (FaB-Brazil) Scale

Abstract

Purpose

To develop and cross-culturally adapt a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Falls Behavioral Scale (FaB-Brazil) and to verify its psychometric properties.

Material and Methods

The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process of the scale followed standard guidelines. The FaB-Brazil scale was applied to 93 community-dwelling older people. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to evaluate interrater and test–retest reliability. The standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC), ceiling and floor effects, convergent and discriminative validity were evaluated. A significance level of .05 was set for statistical analyses.

Results

Internal consistency was moderate (α = 0.73). An excellent inter-rater (ICC = 0.93; p < 0.001) and a good test–retest (ICC = 0.79; p < 0.001) reliability were found. The SEM was 0.27 and MDC was 0.53. Neither ceiling nor floor effects were found. Convergent validity was established by the positive correlations between the FaB-Brazil scale, age, and functional mobility, and by the negative correlations between the FaB-Brazil scale and balance confidence, community mobility and EuroQol-5D (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between males and females and between non-fallers and fallers.

Conclusions

Our results offer evidence for the reliability and validity of the FaB-Brazil scale for community-dwelling older people.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Fall-related behaviors should be part of the fall risk assessment of community-dwelling older people.

• The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Falls Behavioral Scale (FaB-Brazil) is reliable and valid for assessing fall-related behaviors in community-dwelling older people.

• The FaB-Brazil scale may be used to raise awareness about potential fall hazards and to guide fall prevention programs.

Keywords:

• Aging
• falls
• fall risk
• fall prevention
• fall-related behaviors
• cross-cultural adaptation
• psychometric properties

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lorena Rosa Almeida, Guilherme Valença, and Tabatha Longa for the translation of the FaB scale, Alessandra Swarowsky, Cláudia Byrro, Elen Betriz Pinto, Gabriela Rego, Helena Maia, Jamary Oliveira-Filho, and Richelma Barbosa, members of the expert committee, and the participants of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).