A preliminary evaluation of the PEDI-CAT Mobility item bank for children using walking aids and wheelchairs

Objective: To examine the discriminant validity and scoring patterns of the PEDI-CAT Mobility item bank for children who use a walking aid or wheelchair. Methods: Parents whose children use a walking aid (n = 35) or a wheelchair (n = 31) completed the full PEDI-CAT Mobility item bank (105 items including 13 walking aid and 14 wheelchair items) on-line. An independent sample t-test was used to examine mean scores between the groups. Point spread and placement of the scores along the overall 20-80 test scale and response patterns for the 27 mobility device items were analyzed descriptively. Results: Mean scaled scores were significantly different (p < 0.001) for the two groups. Mean score for the Wheelchair Group (38.37, SD = 7.09) was lower than the Walking Aid Group (46.97, SD = 5.10). The Walking Aid Group started and ended higher on the 20 to 80 scale metric than the Wheelchair Group. No floor or ceiling effects were seen for the scoring of the 27 items specifying use of a mobility device. Conclusion: The PEDI-CAT Mobility domain could differentiate the functional mobility status between known groups of children who use a walking aid or wheelchair and provides specific items to measure functional mobility with use of a mobility device.