Brazilian version of the Fear of Falls Scale: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation

Abstract Fear of falling can be present in the daily lives of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) due to their predisposition to falls. The main objective of this study was to translate the Fear of Falls Scale (FFS) into Brazilian Portuguese, adapt it cross-culturally, and validate it. A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted with PD patients fluent in Brazilian Portuguese, recruited from five research centers in Brazil. Descriptive analysis characterized the sample and compared the data. Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω coefficients were used to assess the internal consistency of the scale. No significant differences were observed between the translated versions T1 and T2. The B1 and B2 versions did not present significant divergences in the back-translation from the original scale. The Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part III significantly correlated with motor skills (rho = 0.56, 0.43–0.67; p ≤ 0.001) and fear of falling (rho = 0.48, 0.34–0.60; p ≤ 0.001). Higher stages on the modified Hoehn & Yahr scale were associated with a greater decline in motor skills and a greater fear of falling (p < 0.001). The total internal consistency of balance-related motor skills and fear of falling was considered sufficiently reliable. Cronbach's α values were 0.96, 0.91, and 0.90; while McDonald's ω values were 0.96, 0.92, and 0.91, respectively. The Brazilian version of the FFS proved to be valid and reliable for assessing fear of falling in people with PD.