Psychometrics of the home safety self-assessment tool (HSSAT) to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults

OBJECTIVE. To identify psychometric properties of the Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults.

METHOD. We tested content validity, test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and responsiveness to change.

RESULTS. The content validity index was .98, the intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was .97, and the interrater reliability was .89. The difference on identified risk factors between the use and nonuse of the HSSAT was significant (p 5 .005). Convergent validity with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Home Safety Checklist was high (r 5 .65), and discriminant validity with fear of falling was very low (r 5 .10). The responsiveness to change was moderate (standardized response mean 5 0.57).

CONCLUSION. The HSSAT is a reliable and valid instrument to identify fall risks in a home environment, and the HSSAT booklet is effective as educational material leading to improvement in home safety.