Translation and initial validation n of the Persian version of Geriatric Fear of Falling Measure (GFFM)

Objective (s):

Fear of falling is the main fear among older adults and is an independent risk factor for decreased mobility and quality of life. Therefore, a standard tool is needed to assess the fear of falling. The Geriatric Fear of Falling Measure is one of the common tools that used for this purpose. The present study aimed to translate and initially validate the Persian version of the questionnaire in Iran.

This was a methodological study and was conducted on 200 elderly people. After translating and obtaining opinions of experts, the content and face validity of the questionnaire were determined qualitatively. Then, the validity of the GFFM was assessed through convergent validity (correlation test between the Persian version of the GFFM and the Activities Specific Balance Confidence Scale-ABC questionnaire) and known group comparison. Reliability was evaluated using internal consistency (Cronbachchr('39')s alpha).

The results obtained from known groups comparison indicated that the questionnaire well differentiated among participants who were differed in self-reported health condition. The convergent validity showed a significant correlation between the Persian version of the GFFM and the ABC questionnaires. The Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient for the dimensions and the total questionnaire was between 0.75 and 0.89.

The findings indicated that the Persian version of the GFFM is a valid instrument and can be used in a variety of situations, including clinical and research environments. It is suggested that the future studies assess the structural validity of the GFFM using factor analysis with a bigger sample size.