Article

Literature shows that some health outcomes (e.g., eating, breathing, and
speaking) are directly related to posture. Evidence of outcomes mediated by
wheelchair seated posture is limited to interface pressure, physical function,
and wheelchair skills and safety. This study's purpose was to develop and
validate a rapid, low-burden, paper-pencil assessment of wheelchair seated
posture for research use and to test feasibility of its use with a sample of
older adults. We used a prospective design and a convenience sample of older
adults who were receiving rehabilitation services in a community living center.
Forty-nine older wheelchair users participated. Main measures were the Seated
Posture Scale (SPS), Modified Ashworth Scale, Barthel Index, Visual Descriptor
Scale, scale-content validity index (S-CVI), Cronbach alpha, and test-retest
reliability. Rating by six experts yielded the overall content validity score
(S-CVI) of 0.744. Total SPS score correlated positively with physical function
(Barthel Index, r = 0.46, p < 0.001) and negatively with muscle tone (Modified
Ashworth Scale, r = -0.44, p = 0.001), supporting SPS construct validity.
Internal consistency was 0.66 (Cronbach alpha). Test-retest reliability yielded
Pearson product-moment correlations of 0.89 to 0.99. We conclude that the SPS has
sufficient preliminary validity and reliability to support its use as an
evaluation of wheelchair seated posture in outcomes research.

Langue : ANGLAIS