Validity and Reliability of the Foot Care Scale for Older Diabetics in Turkish Society

Abstract

Background: Older patients with diabetes have behaviors and practices in foot care that differ from those of younger patients. There is a need for a tool to assess the foot care of patients with diabetes who are over the age of 65 years. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the long and short versions of the Foot Care Scale for Older Diabetics (FCS-OD) in Turkish society. Methods: A total of 172 older patients with diabetes participated in the study. Language validity, content validity, construct validity, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient value, item-scale correlations, parallel form reliability, and test-retest correlations were used to assess the Turkish version of FCS-OD. A patient identification form, FCS-OD, Diabetic Foot Care Self-Efficacy Scale, and Foot Self-Care Behavior Scale were used for data collection. Results: Turkish versions of the FCS-OD, both short and long versions, were at acceptable levels regarding their content (content validity index: 0.964, 0.975) and construct (factor loadings > 0.4). Both versions of the scale showed a high level of internal consistency as demonstrated by Cronbach’s alpha values (short version, 0.802; long version, 0.905) and item-scale correlations (> 0.3). Both versions of the scale were stable over time and compared to the parallel forms. Conclusions: Both versions of the scale were found to be valid and reliable for Turkish society with regard to psychometric properties.