Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment I

The Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA)-I is widely used assessment tool for evaluation of balance and gait properties. The aim of this study was to translate POMA-I to Turkish and to assess its reliability and validity. People with amputated lower extremities using prosthetics, those who underwent orthopedic surgery within the last 6 months, those dependent on wheel chairs and also bed-ridden patients, subjects with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and illiterate people were excluded. After translation into Turkish, the Turkish version of the scale was applied on the participants at 2-week intervals. Volunteers ≥65 years of age were enrolled in the study. Internal consistencies of POMA subscale scores of postural balance and gait, and total score were calculated using Cronbach's α coefficient. The Turkish version was evaluated with respect to inter- and intrarater reliability and test-retest reliability intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). For validation, Pearson's correlation coefficient between POMA and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) was estimated. Eighty participants enrolled in the study with a mean age of 76. 5 ± 6. 75 years. In the reliability evaluation of the scale, considering postural balance, gait, and total score, Cronbach's α coefficients were found to be 0. 72, 0. 83, and 0. 88, respectively. ICCs were detected above 0. 70 for test-retest reliability and also for interrater and intrarater reliability. In validation study POMA total score had a strong positive correlation with BBS total score (r = 0. 86, p<0. 0001), and also a negative correlation with TUGT (r = -0. 75, p < 0. 0001). According to the results of this study, the Turkish version of the POMA-I scale has been found to be a reliable and a valid scale for elderly Turkish people. © 2012 European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity (EGREPA)