Establishing the Reliability and Validity of Measurements of Walking Time Using the Emory Functional Ambulation Profile

• Published in: Physical therapy Vol. 79; no. 12; pp. 1122 - 1133
• Main Authors: Wolf, S L, Catlin, P A, Gage, K, Gurucharri, K, Robertson, R, Stephen, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physical Therapy Association 01-12-1999; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Attitude and movement; Behavior; Disability Evaluation; Female; Gait - physiology; Human beings; Humans; Male; Man; Measurement; Middle Aged; Orthopedic Equipment; Physical therapy; Physiological aspects; Postural Balance - physiology; Reproducibility of Results; Space life sciences; Statistics, Nonparametric; Stroke; Stroke - physiopathology; Time; Walking
• ISSN: 0031-9023; 1538-6724
• DOI: 10.1093/ptj/79.12.1122

The Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (E-FAP) measures time to walk in different environments and accounts for use of assistive devices. This study assessed the reliability and validity of walking time measurements using these components.
Twenty-eight subjects who had strokes and 28 subjects without impairment were recruited.
The E-FAP, Berg Balance Test, Functional Reach Test, and Timed 10-Meter Walk Test were administered in random order during a single data collection session.
Interrater reliability for the total E-FAP was > or = .997. Subjects without impairment performed better on all 4 tests than did subjects who had strokes. Increased times on the E-FAP correlated with poor performance on the Berg Balance Test and slow gait speeds on the Timed 10-Meter Walk Test in the subjects who had strokes. The E-FAP scores and the Functional Reach Test scores were not correlated.
The E-FAP can be administered easily and inexpensively. Because the E-FAP scores differentiated subject groups and correlated with known measures of function, the E-FAP may be a clinically useful measure of ambulation.