Chanie Samuel Teferi, Asaye Mengstu Melkamu, Guadie Yisak Girma, Mengistu Berhanu, Gashaw Moges
Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Women and Family Health, School of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
BMC Geriatr. 2025 May 17;25(1):349. doi: 10.1186/s12877-025-05962-1.
The fall risk questionnaire (FRQ) is a proficient older adult's fall risk level assessment scale. It assists in identifying individuals at risk, developing prevention mechanisms early, and reducing the chance of injury. It is evidenced that age, literacies, and distinct cultural background determine the validity and reliability of the scale. Nevertheless, there is no valid and reliable fall risk measurement scale for Ethiopian older adults so far. Therefore, the overarching aim of this study is to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and evaluate the validity and reliability of the fall risk questionnaire in the Amharic language.
The translated and cross-culturally adapted FRQ was pre-tested through cognitive interview to provide an Amharic version of FRQ (FRQ-AM), and then its content validity was assessed. The construct validity and reliability of the FRQ-AM were scrutinized by a community-based study with a total of 340 older adults selected by systematic random sampling technique. Epi-Info 7 and SPSS version 25 were applied for the data entry and analysis, respectively. The principal component analysis method, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), Bartlett's test, and factor loading were checked as pre-requisites for factor analysis. The construct validity was examined by average variance extracted (AVE), factor loading, and composite reliability (CR). Chronbach's alpha and CR were included to evaluate the reliability.
The results of KMO, Bartlet's test, and factor loading were 0.705, p < 0.005, and > 0.5, respectively. The principal component analysis with varimax rotation yields four domains, which together explain 50.491% of the total variance. The Chrobach's alpha and CR were 0.56 and 0.78, respectively. The value of AVE, factor loading, and CR of all factors were > 0.5, which shows that convergent validity was evidenced. The square root of AVEs was above the inter-factor correlation value, which indicates that discriminant validity was met.
The rigorous translation process, pre-testing, content, and construct validity demonstrated that the Amharic FRQ is a valid and reliable tool to assess fall risk level in this population. Clinicians and researchers can utilize this tool for the advancement of fall screening and research purposes.
跌倒风险问卷（FRQ）是一种用于评估老年人跌倒风险水平的有效量表。它有助于识别有跌倒风险的个体，尽早制定预防机制，并降低受伤几率。有证据表明，年龄、识字水平和不同的文化背景会影响该量表的有效性和可靠性。然而，迄今为止，埃塞俄比亚老年人尚无有效且可靠的跌倒风险测量量表。因此，本研究的总体目标是将跌倒风险问卷翻译成阿姆哈拉语，进行跨文化调适，并评估其有效性和可靠性。
通过认知访谈对翻译并经跨文化调适的FRQ进行预测试，以提供阿姆哈拉语版的FRQ（FRQ-AM），然后评估其内容效度。采用系统随机抽样技术从社区中选取340名老年人进行基于社区的研究，以检验FRQ-AM的结构效度和信度。分别使用Epi-Info 7和SPSS 25版本进行数据录入和分析。作为因子分析的前提条件，检查主成分分析方法、Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin（KMO）检验、Bartlett检验和因子载荷。通过提取平均方差（AVE）、因子载荷和组合信度（CR）来检验结构效度。纳入Chronbach's alpha和CR以评估信度。
KMO、Bartlet检验和因子载荷的结果分别为0.705、p < 0.005和> 0.5。采用方差最大化旋转的主成分分析产生四个维度，共解释总方差的50.491%。Chrobach's alpha和CR分别为0.56和0.78。所有因子的AVE、因子载荷和CR值均> 0.5，表明具有收敛效度。AVE的平方根高于因子间相关值，表明满足判别效度。
严格的翻译过程、预测试、内容和结构效度表明，阿姆哈拉语版FRQ是评估该人群跌倒风险水平的有效且可靠的工具。临床医生和研究人员可利用此工具推进跌倒筛查和研究工作。
