title: Danish translation and psychometric testing of the Rivermead Mobility Index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) is widely used in several neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis (MS), but its psychometric properties have not been documented in Scandinavia. Therefore, the aim of the study was to translate RMI from UK English into Danish and conduct an initial psychometric testing of the Danish RMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Danish translation conducted by the forward-backward method was first field-tested regarding user-friendliness and relevance. It was then psychometrically tested among 40 outpatients with MS regarding unidimensionality (corrected item-total correlations, adherence to an assumed Guttman response pattern), reliability, and construct validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Field testing found the Danish RMI relevant and user-friendly. Corrected item-total correlations were ≥0.47 and item responses fitted the Guttman pattern. There was a 47.5% ceiling effect, and reliability was 0.91. Correlations supported construct validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Danish RMI is user-friendly, unidimensional, reliable, and valid. The results correspond to those previously reported with the original UK RMI version. Ceiling effects are limiting but sample related. Larger samples representing a wider variety of MS severities are needed for firmer evaluation of the Danish RMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Frederiksberg Sundhedscenter, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steen Krawcyk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hagell
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sjödahl Hammarlund
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Rivermead Mobility Index; guttman scaling; multiple sclerosis; reliability; translation; validity