TURKISH RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF POSTURAL AWARENESS SCALE IN OFFICE WORKERS

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to perform the Turkish cross-cultural adaptation of the Postural Awareness Scale and test its reliability and validity on office workers. Methods: The study was conducted at Bitlis Eren University, and 180 office workers were included in the study. The average age of the participants was 39.05±8.44, and 74.4% were male. As a first step, forward and backward translations of the scale were performed. Then, the final version of the scale was developed and introduced to all the participants by face-to-face interviews. The internal consistency and construct validity of the scale was assessed with internal consistency analysis, explanatory and confirmatory analyses. Results: The Turkish version of the Postural Awareness Scale, consisting of eleven items, had satisfactory reliability (total α score = .854, factor 1 score = .886, factor 2 score = .777). The reliability of the scale was confirmed by the test-retest analysis performed with a two-week interval as well (r = .831). In explanatory factor analysis, twelfth item was loaded on both factors. In confirmatory factor analysis, factor load of the 12th item was low (0.21). For these reasons, the 12th item was removed from the scale. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the Postural Awareness Scale, consisting of eleven items, is a reliable and valid scale for the assessment of postural awareness in office workers.