Establishing the reliability and validity of measurements of walking time using the Emory Functional Ambulation Profile.
OBJECTIVE
The Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (E-FAP) measures time to walk in different environments and accounts for use of assistive devices. This study assessed the reliability and validity of walking time measurements using these components.


METHODS
Twenty-eight subjects who had strokes and 28 subjects without impairment were recruited.


METHODS
The E-FAP, Berg Balance Test, Functional Reach Test, and Timed 10-Meter Walk Test were administered in random order during a single data collection session.


RESULTS
Interrater reliability for the total E-FAP was > or = .997. Subjects without impairment performed better on all 4 tests than did subjects who had strokes. Increased times on the E-FAP correlated with poor performance on the Berg Balance Test and slow gait speeds on the Timed 10-Meter Walk Test in the subjects who had strokes. The E-FAP scores and the Functional Reach Test scores were not correlated.


CONCLUSIONS
The E-FAP can be administered easily and inexpensively. Because the E-FAP scores differentiated subject groups and correlated with known measures of function, the E-FAP may be a clinically useful measure of ambulation.
Wolf
S L
SL
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga., USA. steve@spinal.emory.edu
Catlin
P A
PA
Gage
K
K
Gurucharri
K
K
Robertson
R
R
Stephen
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009983:Orthopedic Equipment; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013995:Time