title: Reliability and validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) in individuals with dizziness and imbalance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this research is to establish the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) in people with vestibular disorders.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Individuals with vestibular dysfunction have an increased risk of falling. The FES-I is a measure used to quantify an individual's concern of falling during different tasks.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional descriptive study was used to determine the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the FES-I. Fifty-three individuals with vestibular or balance dysfunction completed the FES-I twice during an initial evaluation by a neurotologist. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. The convergent validity was measured by correlating the FES-I with the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Vestibular Activities and Participation (VAP) scale, 4-item Dynamic Gait Index (DGI-4), and measuring gait speed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FES-I demonstrated high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, model 3,1: 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.97) and had concurrent validity with other self-report and physical performance measures (correlation coefficients for the ABC, -0.84; DHI, 0.75; VAP, 0.78; gait speed, -0.55; and DGI-4, -0.55).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FES-I is a reliable and valid tool for measuring an individual's concern of falling in a sample of people with vestibular disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Friscia
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Whitney
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Furman
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sparto
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests; D055815:Young Adult
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