Validity and inter-rater reliability of the Wheelchair Motor Activity Log in individuals with spinal cord injury

• Grant number: 23/14795-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Natalia Duarte Pereira
• Grantee: Carolina Luiza Donzelini Rodrigues Alves
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: The Wheelchair Motor Activity Log (WC-MAL) is a semistructured interview instrument designed to assess the perception of manual wheelchair use in real-world settings among individuals with spinal cord injury. The validity and reproducibility of this instrument, developed in Brazil, have not yet been measured. Objective: To investigate the construct validity and reproducibility of the WC-MAL. Methods: Individuals who use manual wheelchairs due to spinal cord injury, diagnosed with paraplegia and tetraplegia, of both sexes, and aged 16 years or older will be recruited (CAAE: 45511321.7.0000.5504). Two evaluators will remotely administer the WC-MAL with a two-week interval. The interview will be structured with a presentation for better visualization by the participant, who will respond using three scales: frequency of use, performance, and assistance required for the execution of 23 wheelchair-related items. After collecting WC-MAL data, real-world wheelchair use data will be collected by means of a wheel odometer. Participants will be required to use the wheel odometer attached to the wheelchair for three days. Validation analysis will be performed by correlating WC-MAL frequency of use scale scores with wheelchair wheel rotations, and reproducibility data will be measured using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, and measurement errors.