Cross-cultural validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) in older people: results from Germany, the Netherlands and the UK were satisfactory.
OBJECTIVE
To carry out a cross-cultural validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I), a 16-item modified version of the Falls Efficacy Scale that was developed to assess both easy and more complex physical and social activities, in a range of languages and different cultural contexts.


METHODS
Data were collected in Germany (n = 94), The Netherlands (n = 193), and the UK (n = 178) in samples of older people living in the community. Four-week FES-I re-test data were collected in Germany and The Netherlands. Descriptive statistics and reliability estimates were computed as well as FES-I sum scores according to age, sex, falls history and fear of falling.


RESULTS
Mean inter-item correlations were all above 0.38 and internal reliability estimates were all 0.90 or above. The intra-class correlation coefficients in the German and the Dutch sample were 0.79 and 0.82, respectively. As expected, FES-I scores were associated with age, sex, falls history and fear of falling. In addition, the FES-I discriminated between sub-groups somewhat better than the original ten-item FES scale.


CONCLUSIONS
The FES-I has been shown to have acceptable reliability and construct validity in different samples in different countries and may be used in cross-cultural rehabilitation research and clinical trials.
Kempen
Gertrudis I J M
GI
Department of Health Care Studies, Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands. G.Kempen@zw.unimaas.nl
Todd
Chris J
CJ
Van Haastregt
Jolanda C M
JC
Zijlstra
G A Rixt
GA
Beyer
Nina
N
Freiberger
Ellen
E
Hauer
Klaus A
KA
Piot-Ziegler
Chantal
C
Yardley
Lucy
L
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom