2Manisa Celal Bayar University School of Medicine, Public Health, Manisa, Turkey
3Sehzadeler District Health Directorate, Public Health, Manisa, Turkey DOI : 10.29400/tjgeri.2024.408 Introduction: This study aimed to develop a Turkish version of the Aachen Falls Prevention Scale and determine its psychometric properties (reliability and validity).
Materials and Method: This methodological study involved 200 individuals aged ? 65 years from selected Family Health Centers in Manisa, Turkey, who were categorised as fallers and non-fallers. The study proceeded with distribution and item analyses of the scale, followed by reliability and validity assessments, including criterion validity, confirmatory factor analysis, known groups, and parallel form validity for construct validity.
Results: The Turkish version of Aachen Falls Prevention Scale demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.0% and specificity of 75.0% for the first part of the index score and a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 55.0% for the third part. Confirmatory factor analysis for the single-factor structure of the first section yielded a chisquare/ degrees of freedom ratio of 1.13, a comparative fit index of 0.939, and a root mean square error of approximation of 0.025. According to the results of known-groups analysis, the 1st and the 3rd parts of the scale were discriminative for all known groups whereas the 2nd part was not sensitive to some variables.
Conclusion: The study findings indicate highly satisfactory psychometric results for the Aachen Falls Prevention Scale. Specifically, the tool showed superior predictive capability for fall risk in older individuals compared to balance tests, such as the Tinetti test. Consequently, the Aachen Falls Prevention Scale can effectively assess fall risk among Turkish-speaking older adults in hospitals and primary healthcare settings.
Keywords : Accidental Falls; Aged; Geriatric Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity