Cross-Cultural and Psychometric Properties Assessment of the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Material and Methods:The Exercise Self-Efficacy scale was applied to 76 subjects, with three-month intervals (three applications in total). The reliability was appraised using the intra-class correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman methods, and the internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach´s alpha. The Exercise Self-Efficacy scale was correlated with the domains of the Quality of life Questionnaire SF-36 and Functional Independence Measure and tested using the Spearman rho coefficient.Results: The Exercise Self-Efficacy scale-Brazil presented good internal consistency (alpha 1 = 0.856; alpha 2 = 0.855; alpha 3 = 0.822) and high reliability in the test-retest (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.97). There was a strong correlation between the Exercise Self-Efficacy scale-Brazil and the SF-36 only in the functional capacity domain (rho = 0.708). There were no changes in Exercise Self-Efficacy scale-Brazil scores between the three applications (p = 0.796). Discussion: The validation of the Exercise Self-Efficacy scale questionnaire permits the assessor to use it reliably in Portuguese speaking countries, since it is the first instrument measuring self-efficacy specifically during exercises in individuals with spinal cord injury. Furthermore, the questionnaire can be used as an instrument to verify the effectiveness of interventions that use exercise as an outcome. Conclusion:The results of the Brazilian version of the Exercise Self-Efficacy scale support its use as a reliable and valid measurement of exercise self-efficacy for this population. Keywords: Motor Activity; Self Efficacy; Spinal Cord Injuries/rehabilitation; Validation Studies INTRODUCTIONThe spinal cord acts as a bidirectional conduction pathway between the brain and the motor, sensory and autonomic regions of the human body. As the functions of the spinal cord differ in regard to the segment and structure,