Reliability and validity of the Arabic Dynamic Gait Index in people poststroke

The Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) is a valid and reliable measure of gait, balance, and fall risk. The purpose of this study was to translate the DGI into Arabic and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the DGI (A-DGI) in patients with stroke.

The DGI was translated into Arabic according to the World Health Organization forward/backward translation protocol for translating assessment tools. It was then administered to a convenience sample of patients with stroke. The inter-and intrarater reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the A-DGI were examined.

Fifty-one patients with stroke (mean [SD] age, 64 [12] years; 33 male) were enrolled in the study. The A-DGI score reflected high agreement for both interrater (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]3,1 = .98; 95% confidence interval [CI], .97-.99) and intrarater (ICC1,1 = .97; 95% CI, .95-.98) reliability and correlated moderately but significantly with the Glasgow Coma Scale (rho = .39, P = .01), Beck Depression Inventory (rho = -.50, P < .01), and Stroke Impact Scale-16 version 3.0 domains. The A-DGI discriminated between subjects who were at risk of fall and those who were not (U = .00, P < .01), younger and older adults (U = 195, P = .03), side of hemiplegia (U = 218, P = .04), and mild and moderate (U = 105.5, P = .02) as well as mild and severe stroke severity (U = 30, P < .01).

The A-DGI reflected high reliability and validity in the stroke population. The availability of a reliable and valid A-DGI facilitates its use among therapists from Arabic origins, which will enrich the rehabilitation process in their clinical practice.