Locomotive syndrome in the elderly: translation, cultural adaptation, and Brazilian validation of the tool 25-Question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale.

OBJECTIVE: The term Locomotive Syndrome (LS) refers to conditions in which the elderly are at high risk of inability to ambulate due to problems in locomotor system. For LS screening, the 25-Question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25) was created. The objective here was to translate, adapt culturally to Brazil, and study the psychometric properties of GLFS-25.

METHOD: The translation and cultural adaptation of GLFS-25 were carried out, thus resulting in GLFS 25-P, whose psychometric properties were analyzed in a sample of 100 elderly subjects. Sociodemographic data on pain, falls, self-perceived health and basic and instrumental functionalities were determined. GLFS 25-P was applied three times: in one same day by two interviewers, and after 15 days, again by the first interviewer.

RESULT: GLFS 25-P showed a high internal consistency value according to Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.942), and excellent reproducibility, according to intraclass correlation, with interobserver and intraobserver values of 97.6% and 98.4%, respectively (p<0.01). Agreements for each item of the instrument were considerable (between 0.248 and 0.673), according to Kappa statistic. In its validation, according to the Pearson's coefficient, regular and good correlations were obtained for the basic (BADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living, respectively (p<0.01). Statistically significant associations with chronic pain (p<0.001), falls (p=0.02) and self-perceived health (p<0.001) were found. A multivariate analysis showed a significantly higher risk of LS in the presence of chronic pain (OR 15.92, 95% CI 3.08-82.27) and with a worse self-perceived health (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07 -0.79).

CONCLUSION: GLFS 25-P proved to be a reliable and valid tool in LS screening for the elderly population.