CONCURRENT VALIDITY AND RESPONSIVENESS OF THE ESCALA DE AVALIAÇÃO DE MOBILIDADE PARA EQUOTERAPIA

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.159342318016

• Palavras-chave: -

• Keywords: Evaluation process; Concurrent Validity; Responsiveness; Hippotherapy; Equine-assisted therapy.

• Abstract:

  Purpose: To evaluate the concurrent validity and responsiveness of the Escala de Avaliação de Mobilidade para Equoterapia (EAMEQ) in children and adolescent hippotherapy treatment.

  Methods: A methodological study of the concurrent validity and responsivity of the EAMEQ, approved by the CEP n. 2.665.298: CAAE 82523118.9.0000.8093. For concurrent validity, both EAMEQ and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) were used in 41 children with cerebral palsy, on the same day, by 2 independent examiners. The analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation coefficient, r. In the responsivity study 41 children with different health conditions were evaluated using the EAMEQ, in three different moments, during 15 weeks of hippotherapy (3rd, 9th and 15th week) The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was carried out to test the normality of the data, the ANOVA was used for repeated measures and the Sidak post-hoc test was used to verify the responsiveness.

  Results: There was strong and significant correlation between the EAMEQ and the GMFM scores (r=0,872; p<0,0001). There is also an effect of how long the children and adolescents were receiving the hippotherapy treatment for, evaluated through the EAMEQ. F (2,0, 80,0) = 56,00, p < 0,0001. Sidak’s post-hoc showed that the hippotherapy treatments were different in all evaluation periods.

  Conclusions: The EAMEQ shows good concurrent validity with the GMFM, considered gold standard in mobility assessment of children with cerebral palsy. It is also responsive to changes in the mobility capacity of children with different health conditions on the horse. Also, the EAMEQ shows good responsivity over time regarding the hippotherapy patient’s mobility on the horse.