Evaluation of the Functional Mobility Assessment Through Rasch Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness of the Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA) when measuring an individual's satisfaction with functional mobility.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of cross-sectional self-report data.

SETTING

Assistive technology center within an academic medical center in the Midwestern United States.

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals with a disability that use or plan to use a mobility device (N=871).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

FMA.

RESULTS

All FMA items (10/10) contributed to a single unidimensional construct with good to strong fit to a unidimensional confirmatory factor model. Rasch analysis revealed that the rating scale, majority of persons (>90%), and all items fit the Rasch measurement model. The FMA demonstrated adequate reliability (person reliability=0.85) and separated persons into 3 strata: those with high, medium, and low satisfaction with functional mobility.

CONCLUSIONS

The FMA is an appropriate measure for use in research and clinical settings to quantify satisfaction with functional mobility among mobility device users.