Validity and reliability of the self-rated fall risk questionnaire in older adults with osteoporosis

BACKGROUND: Several risk assessments have been developed to evaluate fall risk in older adults, but it has not been conclusively established which of these tools is most effective for assessing fall risk in this vulnerable population. Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the self-rated Fall Risk Questionnaire (self-rated FRQ), a 12-item questionnaire designed to screen older adults who are at risk of falling and has been widely used in many centers. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the self-rated FRQ in older adults with osteoporosis. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand from December 2019 to March 2020. Sixty-eight men or postmenopausal women aged > 65 years who were diagnosed with osteoporosis either by bone mineral density T-score or by occurrence of fragility fracture were evaluated with the self-rated FRQ, the Thai falls risk assessment test (Thai-FRAT), the timed get-up-and-go test (TUG test), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the 5 times sit-to-stand test (5TSTS test). Validity of the self-rated FRQ was assessed by evaluating the correlations (r) between the self-rated FRQ score and the scores from the other four assessments. Reliability of the self-rated FRQ was evaluated by measuring test-retest reliability and internal consistency. RESULTS: The self-rated FRQ was moderately strongly correlated with the BBS, TUG test, and 5TSTS test (r = 0.535 to 0.690; p < 0.001), and fairly correlated with the Thai-FRAT (r = 0.487; p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability of the self-rated FRQ was high, with a Kappa of 1. Internal consistency of the self-rated FRQ was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.936). CONCLUSIONS: The self-rated FRQ was found to be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating fall risk in older adults with osteoporosis. Since assessment of fall risk requires a multifaceted measurement tool, the self-rated FRQ is an appropriate tool that can be integrated into the fall risk assessment algorithm in older adults with osteoporosis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-020-03788-z.