Evaluation of properties of the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (Brazilian version) in an elderly population

Abstract

Background The Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (VADL) is considered an important subjective assessment to evaluate patients suffering from dizziness and imbalance. Although frequently used, its metric characteristics still require further investigation. Objective This paper aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the VADL in an elderly population.Method The sample comprises patients (≥65 years old) with chronic dizziness resulting from vestibular disorders. For discriminant analysis, patients were compared to healthy subjects. All subjects answered the VADL-Brazil by interview. To examine the VADL validity, patients filled out the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the ABC scale and were tested on the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI). To evaluate the VADL responsiveness, 20 patients were submitted to rehabilitation. Results Patients (n=140) had a VADL total score of 4.1±1.6 points. Healthy subjects scored significantly less than patients in all the subscales and in the VADL total score. The VADL-Brazil was weakly correlated with the DHI and moderately to the ABC scale and the DGI. Instead of the original 3 subscales, factor analysis resulted in 6 factors. The VADL was capable of detecting changes after rehabilitation, which means that the instrument has responsiveness. Conclusions This study provided more data about the psychometric properties and usefulness of the VADL-Brazil. The use of such a reliable and valid instrument increases the knowledge about disability in patients with vestibular disorders.

Feasibility and safety of an immersive virtual reality-based vestibular rehabilitation programme in people with multiple sclerosis experiencing vestibular impairment: a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

“…40 Nowadays, Cawthorne-Cooksey vestibular training is considered the gold standard protocol within this framework. 31 41 Although further research is needed, conventional vestibular training has been reported as superior to no intervention and at least as effective as exercise-based approach (Frenkel exercises and endurance training) for improving dizziness, balance and fatigue in any MS type. 38 39 Currently, there is an exponential growth of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) applied to vestibular rehabilitation in other diseases.…”

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of the vestibular activities and participation measure

“…Thus, less than half the 25 questions of DHI reflect activity limitations or participation restriction in patients with vestibular disorder. In another activity scale, the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (VADL), a plateau in the DHI score was achieved while the VADL score continued to increase, indicating that the DHI scale weakly correlates with VADL [ 21 ]. It is important to highlight that such discrepancy exists because of different dimensions evaluated by different scales.…”

A Career in Inquiry

“…Then, with the assistance of an occupational therapy student and certified driving rehabilitation specialist, Jennifer Wells, our investigator did a study of driving problems in people with vestibular disorders (Cohen, Wells, Kimball, & Owsley, 2003). That initial work also led to the development and norming of a better ADL scale, the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (VADL), with assistance from an occupational therapy student, Angela S. Adams Cohen, Kimball, & Adams, 2000), and a paper refining that scale with a Brazilian physical therapist, Natalia A. Ricci, as part of her doctoral research (Ricci, Aratani, Caovilla, Cohen, & Ganança, 2014). The VADL has become widely used and has contributed to acceptance of the idea that patients with vestibular impairments have functional limitations.…”