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Seated postural control measure: Italian translation and validation in children with cerebral palsy
Marco Tofani1, Giulia Blasetti G1, Luca Lucibello2
1Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Intensive Neurorehabilitation and Robotics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Insights
The Italian Seated Postural Control Measure (IT-SPCM) is a reliable and valid tool for assessing seating interventions in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). This validated measure aids in collecting comparable international data for postural management programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Biomedical Engineering
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- Seating interventions are crucial for postural management in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), particularly those with mobility impairments.
- A lack of validated outcome measures hinders international data comparison for these interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To translate the Seated Postural Control Measure (SPCM) into Italian.
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Italian version (IT-SPCM) in children with CP.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional and repeated measures study design.
- Cultural adaptation and translation of the SPCM following international guidelines.
- Assessment of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), inter-rater, and intra-rater reliability (ICC).
- Convergent construct validity was examined against established scales (Level of Sitting Scale, GMFCS, MACS).
Main Results:
- The IT-SPCM demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.83-0.95).
- Excellent inter-rater (0.95) and intra-rater (0.93) reliability for the IT-SPCM total score.
- Moderate correlations were found between IT-SPCM and Level of Sitting Scale (0.37), GMFCS (-0.41), and MACS (-0.56).
Conclusions:
- Preliminary findings support the reliability and validity of the IT-SPCM.
- The IT-SPCM is a promising tool for assessing seating interventions in children with CP.
- This validated measure can facilitate international data collection and comparison in CP research.
Background:
Seating interventions are part of the postural management program recommended for children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) who are nonambulatory or have difficulty in walking. The lack of validated outcome measures for assessing seating interventions limits access to obtain valid and comparable data internationally.
Objective:
To translate the Seated Postural Control Measure (SPCM) into Italian and assess reliability and validity of the translated measure in a population of children with CP.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional and repeated measures study.
Methods:
The original version of the SPCM was translated and culturally adapted by a multidisciplinary team according to international guidelines. Internal consistency was examined with Cronbach's alpha. Both inter- and intrarater reliabilities were estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals. Intrarater reliability was estimated over a 1-week period. Convergent construct validity was investigated by comparing SPCM values with the Level of Sitting Scale, the Gross Motor Function Classification System, and the Manual Ability Classification System using Pearson's correlation coefficients.
Results:
The Italian version of the SPCM (IT-SPCM) was evaluated on 72 children with CP aged 4-18 years. Cronbach's alpha was 0.83, 0.95, and 0.93 for IT-SPCM alignment subscale, IT-SPCM functioning subscale, and total score, respectively. Reliability for IT-SPCM total score was high for both inter- and intrarater reliabilities (0.95 and 0.93). The IT-SPCM total score was moderately correlated with the Level of Sitting Scale (0.37), Gross Motor Function Classification System (-0.41), and Manual Ability Classification System (-0.56).
Conclusion:
Preliminary evidence supports the reliability and validity of using IT-SPCM with a population of children with CP.
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