Objective: To translate and adapt the High-Level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) into Argentine Spanish and evaluate its psychometric properties in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: Parkinson’s disease presents motor and non-motor symptoms affecting patients’ quality of life. Exercise interventions have emerged as potential therapies to slow disease progression in a dose dependent manner (higher intensities demonstrating better results). However, existing assessment tools lack sensitivity (mostly showing a ceiling effect) in measuring high-level mobility tasks, crucial for evaluating exercise efficacy in PD. The High Level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) was designed to assess motor performance in more challenging activities for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients. This scale requires very high levels of physical performance to achieve the maximum score, avoiding ceiling effects and allowing greater sensitivity to change. It objectively evaluates patients in highly challenging tasks such as maximum speed forward and backward walking, running, single-leg hopping, hopping from one foot to the other, and stair ascent and descent.

Method: Following established guidelines, a cross-cultural adaptation process will translate and adapt HiMAT into Argentine Spanish. A pilot test involving 10-15 PD patients will validate the adapted tool’s reliability, feasibility, and sensitivity to change.

Results: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process will yield a validated Argentine Spanish version of HiMAT. The pilot test will demonstrate the adapted tool’s reliability and feasibility in assessing high-level mobility in PD patients.

Conclusion:

The availability of a validated assessment tool for high-level mobility in PD will address a critical gap in evaluating exercise interventions. It will facilitate better management and monitoring of PD progression, improving the specificity and sensitivity of the follow up, particularly in individuals with high levels of mobility performance, ultimately improving patients’ quality of life.

References: 1. Smith M, Barker R, Williams G, Carr J, Gunnarsson R. The effect of exercise on high-level mobility in individuals with neurodegenerative disease: a systematic literature review. Physiotherapy. 2020 Mar;106:174–93.

2. Williams G, Robertson V, Greenwood K. Measuring high-level mobility after traumatic brain injury. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2004 Dec;83(12):910–20.

3. Williams G, Robertson V, Greenwood K, Goldie P, Morris ME. The high-level mobility assessment tool (HiMAT) for traumatic brain injury. Part 1: Item generation. Brain Inj. 2005 Oct;19(11):925–32.

4. Williams G, Hill B, Kahn M. The concurrent validity and responsiveness of the high-level mobility assessment tool for mobility limitations in people with multitrauma orthopedic injuries. PM R. 2014 Mar;6(3):235–40.

5. Carvajal A, Centeno C, Watson R, Martínez M, Sanz Rubiales Á. How is an instrument for measuring health to be validated? An Sist Sanit Navar. 2011;34(1):63–72.

6. Wild D, Grove A, Martin M, Eremenco S, McElroy S, Verjee-Lorenz A, et al. Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaptation Process for Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) Measures: report of the ISPOR Task Force for Translation and Cultural Adaptation. Value Health. 2005 Mar-Apr;8(2):94–104.

« Back to 2024 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cross-cultural-adaptation-to-argentine-spanish-and-validation-of-the-high-level-mobility-assessment-tool-in-individuals-with-parkinsons-disease/