The Disability in the Physically Active Scale: The Psychometrics of an Outcome Scale for Musculoskeletal Injuries
Open Access
- Author:
- Vela, Luzita Isabel
- Graduate Program:
- Kinesiology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 03, 2005
- Committee Members:
- Craig R Denegar, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Jay N Hertel, Committee Member
William E Buckley, Committee Member
Samuel William Monismith, Committee Member
Peter Andrew Arnett, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Disablement scheme
Saad Nagi
Validity
Reliability
Responsiveness
Sensitivity to change - Abstract:
- Outcomes assessment is an integral part of ensuring quality in athletic training. Unfortunately, no validated outcomes instruments have been created to measure disablement in a physically active person with a musculoskeletal injury. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the psychometrics of the Disability in the Physically Active (DPA) scale: a self-report instrument created to measure disablement. Design and Setting: Data were taken from participants at five settings. Participants entered at baseline or after a musculoskeletal injury (acute or persistent). Participants were asked to complete the DPA, global functioning (GF) scale and global rating of change (GRC) scale on multiple occasions. Participants: A sample of 368 participants were included at baseline. Fifty-four participants with persistent symptoms and twenty-eight participants with an acute injury participated in the study. Test-retest reliability analyses were performed in 52 participants. Measurements: We assessed the DPA’s internal consistency by calculating a Cronbach alpha value. Test-retest reliability was determined with ICC (2,1) values. An exploratory factor analysis determined the factors in the DPA scale. Concurrent validity was assessed with a linear regression while sensitivity to change was assessed by calculating effect size (ES). Responsiveness was calculated by constructing a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and a minimal clinical important difference (MCID) value. Results: The Cronbach alpha score of the DPA was 0.908 and 0.890 in acute and persistent participants respectively. The ICC2,1 value of the DPA for all participants was 0.969. The factor analysis revealed that the DPA had three factors. The DPA group mean scores accounted for 97.5%-100% of the variation in GF group mean scores. The DPA demonstrated large effects on multiple occasions. The DPA demonstrated statistically significant AUC values and the MCID value for the DPA scale was established. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the DPA is a reliable, valid, sensitive and responsive instrument that measures multiple dimensions of disablement. In addition, the MCID value presents useful information for clinicians who use the DPA to measure treatment outcomes. Research should be completed using the DPA to measure the clinical efficacy of intervention used in athletic training.