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.