Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool

Abstract

Purpose

To perform a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool to develop its Spanish version (JHFRAT-Sp).

Material and methods

Two hundred eleven participants aged 60 years or older participated in this observational study. After translation and transcultural adaptation of the JHFRAT-Sp, the internal consistency, criterion validity and construct validity were calculated using the Falls Efficacy Scale International, Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ), Health Questionnaire EuroQol (5Dimensions and VAS), Short Form-12v2 and Health Assessment Questionnaire.

Results

The internal consistency was 0.986. The test-retest analysis ranged from 0.971 to 0.983. The error measures presented values in MDC90 and SEM of 0.602 and 1.404%, respectively. The chi-Square value was 120.662 (p < 0.001). The extraction method by principal components showed a solution of four factors. Regarding the criterion validity, the correlation value ranged from r = 0.200 (FHSQ-Vigour) to r = 0.891 (EuroQol-VAS).

Conclusions

The JHFRAT was translated and adapted culturally from the original version to Spanish. The psychometric analysis carried out in the JHFRAT-Sp showed excellent reliability, as well as satisfactory results both in the measurement error analysis and in the construct and criterion validities. Spanish researchers and clinicians may use this tool to analyse the risk of falling.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• A transcultural translation and adaptation of the JHFRAT questionnaire into Spanish (JHFRAT-Sp) has been carried out.

• The JHFRAT-Sp questionnaire is shown as a tool with very satisfactory psychometric characteristics, which would allow its use by both researchers and clinicians for the evaluation and monitoring of patients at risk of falls.

• The results that can be extracted from the use of JHFRAT-Sp, can be compared with the same type of patients who have used the same questionnaire but in other clinical or research environments that have the validated version of JHFRAT in their native language, such as English, Chinese or Portuguese (Brazilian).

Keywords:

• Falls
• psychometric properties
• questionnaire
• validation studies
• patient reported outcome

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the participants who contributed to the development of this study.

Disclosure statement

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