Reliability of HOME FAST BRAZIL-Self-Reported Version for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Objective: Verify the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the HOME FAST BRAZIL-Self-reported version and correlate household environmental risks with the history of falls by community-dwelling older adults. Method: Cross sectional study with 50 community-dwelling older adults who were screened by the cut-off point of the Mini Mental State Exam and replied to the HOME FAST BRAZIL-Self-reported version using two evaluators, on three occasions. The reliability analysis was determined by the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), considering ICC > 0.70 as adequate. To test the correlations, the Spearman test was used. Results: The mean age of the participants was 73.2 ± 5.8 years. The inter- rater reliability of HOME FAST BRAZIL-Self-reported version was ICC 0.83 (IC95%, 0.70-0.90) and the Intra- reliability ICC 0.85 (IC95%, 0.74-0.91). A risk of falls was verified in 88% of the sample and four environmental risks presented significant correlations with the history of falls. Conclusions: The HOME FAST BRAZIL-Self-reported version presented adequate reliability for the evaluation of household environmental risks for community-dwelling older adults. Risks such as inadequate armchairs/ sofas, the absence of anti-slip mats in the shower recess, the presence of pets and inadequate beds require attention in the evaluation of household risks, due to their correlation with the occurrence of falls.

Keywords: accidental falls; aged; environmental hazards; reproducibility of results; risk assessment; risk factors.