Self-reported function and disability in late life - cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Swedish version of the late-life function and disability instrument.
OBJECTIVE
To translate and perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI) to Swedish, to investigate absolute and relative reliability, concurrent validity, and floor and ceiling effects within a Swedish-speaking sample of community-dwelling older adults with self-reported balance deficits and fear of falling.


METHODS
Translation, reliability and validation study of the LLFDI. Sixty-two community-dwelling, healthy older adults (54 women and 8 men) aged 68-88 years with balance deficits and fear of falling performed the LLFDI twice with an interval of 2 weeks.


RESULTS
Test-retest agreement, intra-class correlation coefficient was very good, 0.87-0.91 in the LLFDI function component and 0.82-0.91 in the LLFDI disability component. The standard error of measure was small, 5-9%, and the smallest real difference was 14-24%. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was high (0.90-0.96). Correlation with the SF-36 PCS and PF-10 was moderate in both LLFDI function, r = 0.39-0.68 and r = 0.35-0.52, and LLFDI disability, r = 0.40-0.63 and 0.34-0.57, respectively. There was no floor or ceiling effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The Swedish version of the LLFDI is a highly reliable and valid instrument for assessing function and disability in community-dwelling older women with self-reported balance deficits and fear of falling. Implications for Rehabilitation The Swedish LLFDI is a highly reliable and valid instrument for assessing function and disability in older women with self-reported balance deficits and fear of falling. The instrument may be used both in clinical settings and in research. The instrument is sensitive to change and a reasonably small improvement is enough to detect changes in a group or a single individual.
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Physiotherapy , Stockholm , Sweden .
Kirsti Skavberg
KS
Roaldsen
Alexandra
A
Halvarsson
Belinda
B
Sarlija
Erika
E
Franzen
Agneta
A
Ståhle
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D013548:Sweden; D014177:Translations
Elderly; LLFDI; Swedish; fear of falling; reliability; validity