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Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of the Functional Mobility Scale: Assessing Validity and Reliability
Razieh Sadeghian Afarani1, Saeid Fatorehchy1, Mehdi Rassafiani2
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
The Persian Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) shows excellent validity and reliability for assessing functional mobility in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). This tool is beneficial for clinical practice and research in Persian-speaking populations.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
- Movement Science
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts functional mobility in children and adolescents.
- Accurate assessment tools are crucial for effective intervention and management of CP.
- The Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) is a valuable tool, but a Persian version was needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To translate and culturally adapt the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) into Persian.
- To evaluate the content, concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, and intra-rater reliability of the Persian FMS.
- To establish the FMS as a reliable measure for functional mobility in Persian-speaking children and adolescents with CP.
Main Methods:
- A Persian version of the FMS was developed following international translation standards.
- 160 participants with CP (children and adolescents) were included.
- Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's coefficient against the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).
- Test-retest and intra-rater reliability were examined using Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient.
Main Results:
- Concurrent validity showed strong negative correlations (children: -0.912 to -0.941; adolescents: -0.912 to -0.936).
- Test-retest reliability was high, ranging from 0.902 to 1.
- Intra-rater reliability was almost perfect, ranging from 0.933 to 0.987.
Conclusions:
- The Persian version of the FMS exhibits very strong validity and excellent reliability.
- This validated tool is suitable for assessing and classifying functional mobility in pediatric CP populations.
- The Persian FMS is recommended for clinical practice and research involving Persian-speaking individuals with CP.
Aim:
This study aimed to assess the content, concurrent validity, test-retest, and intra-rater reliability of the Persian version of the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) for evaluating functional mobility in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).
Methods:
Following international standards for measurement translation, we developed a Persian version of the FMS. A total of 160 participants took part in this study. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's coefficient to correlate with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Test-retest (n = 30) and intra-rater (n = 30) reliability of the FMS were also examined by Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient.
Results:
Concurrent validity ranged from -0.912 to -0.941 for children and -0.912 to -0.936 for adolescents. Test-retest ranged from 0.902 to 1. Intra-rater ranged from 0.933 to 0.987.
Conclusion:
The Persian version of the FMS demonstrates very strong validity and almost perfect reliability for assessing and classifying functional mobility in children and adolescents with CP. These findings suggest that this tool could be a useful addition to clinical practice and research for the Persian-speaking population.
