Affiliations: [a] Physical Therapy Program, Health Sciences Department, Universidad Nacional de la Matanza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| [b] Physical Therapy Program, Universidad Maimónides, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
| [c] Physical Therapy Program, Medical School, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina | [d] Physical Therapy Unit, Acute Care Hospital “Carlos G. Durand”. City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
| [e] Departments of Physical Therapy and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Daniel H. Verdecchia, Florencio Varela 1903 (B1754JEC). San justo. Buenos Aires. Argentina. Tel.: +54 11 4480 8900 int. 8648; E-mail: dverdecchia@unlam.edu.ar.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Visual vertigo (VV), triggered by environmental or dynamic visual stimuli and repetitive visual patterns, can affect daily life activities. The Visual Vertigo Analogue Scale (VVAS) is a valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire to assess VV, which has been culturally adapted to the Argentine population but has not been validated. OBJECTIVE:To validate the Argentine version of VVAS (VVAS-A) by confirming its psychometric properties in patients with vestibular disorders. METHODS:Vestibular patients (n = 82) completed the VVAS-A and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory Argentine version (DHI-A) during their initial visit and one week later. The VVAS-A's internal consistency, test retest reliability, ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity were determined. Test-retest data (n = 71) was used to calculate reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2.1). RESULTS:A ceiling effect was observed in 12 patients (14.6%). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.91). The reliability was r = 0.764 [CI 95%: 0.7 –0.86]). Correlations were observed between the VVAS-A and the total DHI-A score (rho = 0.571), the DHI-A physical subscale (rho: 0.578), and DHI-A functional and emotional subscales of the DHI-A (rho: 0.537 and 0.387, respectively). CONCLUSION:The VVA-A is a valid, reliable tool to evaluate VV in patients with vestibular disorders.
Keywords: Vertigo, questionnaire, validation studies, psychometric properties, Argentina
