Development, validity and reliability of the ‘Sitting Balance Measure’ (SBM) in spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design: This is a methodological research design. Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) may result in the inability to sit unsupported. This may lead to difficulty performing daily living activities. To make the subjects with SCI independent in their daily living to the maximum possible extent, therapists provide them balance training for which they may require to assess the sitting balance. This study aims to develop an objective measure 'Sitting Balance Measure' (SBM) for the assessment of sitting balance of the subjects with SCI, and to determine its content validity and internal consistency reliability. Setting: This study was conducted in New Delhi, India. Methods: The study was conducted in three phases, namely planning, construction and quantitative evaluation phase. Thirty-six items were generated through the review of literature and semistructured interviews. Qualitative and quantitative content validation through the expert opinion and the content validity ratio (CVR) method resulted in the 24-item scale, which was pilot-tested on a purposive sample of 30 subjects with SCI. Item analysis was conducted to determine internal consistency reliability. Results: CVR method and qualitative review by the experts validated the content of SBM. The SBM has high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96). Conclusion: SBM is a valid scale for the assessment of sitting balance in subjects with SCI. Internal consistency reliability of SBM is high. This may be indicative of item redundancy, which necessitates the need for the second pilot test to refine the scale further.

Adherence to and impact of home-based high-intensity IMT in people with spinal cord injury: a pilot study

“…Four of the five individuals included in the means calculations for the FIST-SCI had paraplegia and all five individuals scored over 45, indicating a high likelihood of the ability to transfer independently [ 41 ]. People with paraplegia have better balance and RF than individuals with cervical SCI, and the relationship between SMIP and FSB is stronger in individuals with tetraplegia [ 23 , 45 , 56 , 57 ]. IMT may have a greater effect on individuals with poorer baseline balance and RF than shown in this cohort.…”

Development of the Finnish neurological function testing battery for dogs and its intra- and inter-rater reliability

“…A high Cronbach’s alpha is considered to increase the reliability of a measure [ 29 ]. On the other hand, a high alpha is not always desired because closely correlated tasks may suggest redundancy, and tasks very similar to each other could be considered for exclusion from the testing battery [ 30 ]. However, all of the original tasks were maintained in the FINFUN because an extensive measure is more reliable than a more compact one as it increases variance, and thus, reliability [ 30 ].…”

“…On the other hand, a high alpha is not always desired because closely correlated tasks may suggest redundancy, and tasks very similar to each other could be considered for exclusion from the testing battery [ 30 ]. However, all of the original tasks were maintained in the FINFUN because an extensive measure is more reliable than a more compact one as it increases variance, and thus, reliability [ 30 ]. Additionally, each task was considered clinically relevant, justifying that all tasks in the testing battery be retained [ 31 ].…”

Clinical proteomics of enervated neurons

“…Currently, even though there are numerous studies being done on various, mostly rehabilitative [ 68 ], epidemiological [ 69 ], financial [ 70 ], clinical [ 71 , 72 ] and surgical [ 73 ] aspects of SCI in India, use of proteomics approach to get into the molecular level has been done only in our laboratory.…”