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Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Translated Title

布尺測量肢體周徑之信度及測量誤差

Abstract

The purposes of this study were (1) to test the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of using a tape measure to determine limb circumferences and (2) to report the 95% CI of standard error of measurement (SEM) of repeated measures by the same tester to determine whether a clinically important change has occurred.Forty-six college students (6 men, 40 women) with a mean age of 20 years old volunteered to participate in this study. Subjects reported no neuro-musculo-skeletal diseases or disorders in their upper or lower extremities. To determine the inter-rater reliability, two testers measured the circumference of 4 locations on the right upper and lower limbs with a tape measure. To determine intra-rater reliability, subjects were re-tested at the same time of day one week later by the same testers. Our results indicate that the intra-rater reliability of tape measures at the 4 sites was good (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC≥0.92). The inter-rater reliability of the 4 sites was very good (ICC≥0.95) except in the measurement of the lower leg (ICC≥0.74). Using a tape measure to determine limb circumference was found to have high inter-rater and intra-rater reliability provided that testers followed standardized measurement procedures. The circumference changes of more than 0.6 cm and 1.3 cm for the upper and lower limbs, respectively, indicates clinically important changes.

Language

Traditional Chinese

First Page

71

Last Page

77

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