TOOL TO ASSESS BASIC MOBILITY PATTERNS IN PEOPLE OVER 65 YEARS OF AGE: RELIABILITY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Introduction and objective: in 2005, Pérez-Parra and González-Marín published a tool in Spanish for the evaluation of basic patterns of mobility (BPM) for adults with upper motor neuron injury, called PBM-UAM-2002. Through observation and application in professional practice, this tool has shown potential for the diagnosis of the physical capacity of the elderly with various health conditions. The objective of this study is to determine the internal consistency, test-retest, and inter-rater reliability of the PBM-UAM-2002, adapted for the evaluation of BPM in the elderly. Material and method: under the empirical-analytical approach, a psychometric study was carried out. A total of 33 men and 32 women between 65 and 108 years (77 ± 8,7) were evaluated. Analyzes of stability of the measurements, equivalence between evaluators and homogeneity between the BPM in all positions and the global instrument, were carried out. Results: high internal consistency was found between the BPMs in all positions and in the global tool (Cronbach's alpha > 0.87). The test-retest reliability for each BPM ranged from good to very good (Kappa > 0.65), with ICC greater than 0.88 (p < .001); the correlations between measurements ranged between 0.79 and 0.95 (p<.001).
he inter-rater reliability for each BPM ranged from moderate to good (Kappa > 0.40), with ICC greater than 0.80 (p < .001); the correlations between measurements ranged from 0.63 to 0.85 (p < .001). Conclusions: the tool showed adequate reliability properties, which enables its application as part of the functional diagnosis of older adults, particularly from motor skills and the physical capacity component.