Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the aachen fall risk assessment tool in elderly individuals

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop the Turkish version of the Aachen Fall Risk Assessment Scale and to determine its psychometric properties (reliability and validity). Materials and Methods: This methodological study was conducted on 100 individuals aged 65 and over who had visited selected Family Health Centers in Manisa, Turkey, for outpatient diagnosis and treatment purposes. The participants consisted of 100 individuals who had experienced at least one fall within the past year and 100 individuals who had not fallen. Three consecutive steps were followed in the psychometric analysis to assess the distribution, reliability, and validity findings of the Aachen Fall Risk Assessment Scale. In the first step, the distribution characteristics and item analysis of the scale were performed. The second step involved reliability analyses, and the final step focused on validity analyses, including criterion validity, construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis, known-groups validity, and parallel form validity. Results: In this study, the Turkish version of the Aachen Fall Risk Assessment Scale demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.0% and specificity of 75.0% for the first section (index score), and a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 55.0% for the third section (perceived fall risk). The confirmatory factor analysis for the single-factor structure of the first section yielded a chi-square/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. Significant associations were found between the first and third sections of the scale and gender, body mass index, perceived loneliness, number of medications used, number of chronic diseases, frailty status, and physical dependency level measured by the EQ5-D. The effect sizes for the Aachen index score (first section) were large for gender, perceived loneliness, frailty status, and overall quality of life measured by EQ5-D; medium for the number of medications used; and weak (around 0.2) for body mass index and number of chronic diseases. Conclusion: The validity and reliability analyses of the three sections of the Turkish version of the Aachen Fall Risk Assessment Scale indicate that the fall assessment index, which constitutes the first and third sections of the scale, is moderately sensitive and specific, with a probability of 25-45% for both false positive and false negative evaluations. The item structure of the fall risk index (first section) is preserved in the Turkish version, and the scale is suitable for use in primary healthcare, considering the aforementioned findings.