Citation

Ruggiero C, Mariani T, Gugliotta R, Gasperini B, Patacchini F, Nguyen HN, Zampi E, Serra R, Dell'Aquila G, Cirinei E, Cenni S, Lattanzio F, Cherubini A. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 2009; 49(1): 211-219.

Affiliation

Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Policlinico Santa Maria della Misericordia, Perugia, Italy. ruggiero07@hotmail.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.archger.2009.09.031

PMID

19836635

Abstract

Fear of falling (FF) is a common problem in older persons. FF negatively affects the quality of life by generating anxiety, loss of confidence and of self-efficacy, and, ultimately, activity restriction and increased risk of falling. The FES-I and Short FES-I are two instruments developed to assess FF in older persons which have been already validated in some European countries. Our objectives are to develop the Italian version of FES-I and the Short FES-I and to validate them in older persons. The back translation protocol adopted by the ProFaNE group was used to translate both scales from English to Italian. Participants were 157 community-dwelling persons aged>65 years who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, including a structured interview concerning FF, and were administered the FES-I and the Short FES-I. Both scales were re-tested after 4 weeks in 151 persons. FES-I and Short FES-I had high internal validity and test-retest reliability. The Short FES-I is highly comparable with the FES-I. We conclude that the FES-I and the Short FES-I are excellent instruments to asses FF in Italian older subjects and they may be used in future research projects and clinical trials.

Language: en