@article{ref1,
title="Use of the Houghton Scale to classify community and household walking ability in people with lower limb amputation: criterion-related validity",
journal="Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation",
year="2016",
author="Wong, Christopher Kevin and Gibbs, William and Chen, Elizabeth Sell",
volume="97",
number="7",
pages="1130-1136",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To examine the criterion-related validity of using the self-reported Houghton Scale (HS) to classify community-dwelling people with lower-limb amputations according to the suggested score ranges for independent community (HS≥9), household and limited-community (8≥HS≥6), and limited household (5≥HS) walking ability categories as referenced to performance-based balance ability and walking speed criteria. <br><br>DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study SETTING: Community-based wellness-walking programs in 8 Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, and Southeast states PARTICIPANTS: 180 volunteers (66.5% men, n=118) mean age 55.5±16.0 years, with 7.1±13.1 years since amputation, at the transtibial level in 47.0% (n=79), due to vascular disease in 49.4% of cases (n=89). INTERVENTIONS: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported data: HS, Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire mobility subscale (PEQ-MS), and Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. Clinical performance-based measures: balance ability assessed with 3 Berg Balance Scale (BBS) items, and walking ability assessed with Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) and 2-Minute-Walk-Test (2MWT). The primary reference criteria were 1) performance-based balance ability measured with the 3 BBS items and 2) gait speed calculated from the 2MWT. <br><br>RESULTS: 45.9% (78/170) scored HS≥9, 30.6% (52/170) scored 8≥HS≥6, and 23.5% (40/170) scored 5≥HS. HS correlated with PEQ-MS (r=0.73), ABC (r=0.76), balance ability (r=0.67), TUG (r=-0.67), and 2MWT (r=0.73). The 3 HS ability categories differed significantly from each other (p<0.05) for all outcome measures: PEQ, ABC, balance ability, TUG and 2MWT. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The HS demonstrated criterion-related validity by differentiating community-dwelling people with lower-limb amputations into community, limited-community/household, and household ability categories that corresponded to performance-based balance and walking criteria. Average prosthetic walking speeds for each category compared to similar walking ability categories defined in other patient populations.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0003-9993",
doi="10.1016/j.apmr.2016.01.022",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2016.01.022"
}