Thai translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS).

STUDY DESIGN

Translation and adaptation study.

OBJECTIVES

To translate and cross culturally adapt the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS) English version into Thai, and to examine content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

SETTING

A tertiary rehabilitation center in Thailand.

METHODS

The SCI-FCS was translated into Thai and culturally translated according to guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Content validity was examined by the Index of item-objective congruence (IOC). Moreover, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were tested by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) models (3, 1), respectively.

RESULTS

Three items were modified to accommodate cultural differences. After synthesis and cross adaptation, the IOC was 1.0. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.88 (range 0.86-0.89) and the ICC of total scores was 0.99 (P < 0.001, range of the subitems 0.98-1). In addition, items that Thai participants scored as being the highest concern of falling were item 13: pushing wheelchair up/down gutters or curbs, item 14: pushing wheelchair up/down a slope, and item 12: pushing wheelchair on an uneven surface.

CONCLUSIONS

The SCI-FCS-Thai version is a reliable and valid outcome measure for assessing concern about falling in wheelchair users with SCI in Thailand.