The Gait Outcomes Assessment List (GOAL) questionnaire: Test-retest reliability and validity in children with cerebral palsy in Türkiye

Abstract

Background: Most questionnaires provide little information about children's or parents' views on functioning and do not attempt to understand their priorities or expectations. The Gait Outcomes Assessment List (GOAL) questionnaire was developed to fill this gap by identifying the most important goals of the patient and family for a gait intervention. Research question: To investigate the test-retest reliability and concurrent and discriminant validity of the GOAL questionnaire in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Türkiye. Methods: In this study, we included 81 children with CP aged 5–18 years and their families. The parent and child version 5.0 of the GOAL was used. Standardized item, domain and total (across all domains) GOAL scores were calculated for each participant. Test-retest reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) was used for validation. Results: The mean age of the children was 10.4 ± 3.3 years (range 5–18), and 64.2 % were boys. The test–retest reliability was excellent for the GOAL-Child and GOAL-Parent total GOAL scores (ICC: 0.97 for the child and ICC: 0.96 for the parent). All standard errors of measurement (SEMs) for domain scores and total scores were fewer than 20 points. The children's total scores on the GOAL questionnaire showed a significant difference between the GMFCS levels (p <0.001). The parents’ total scores on the GOAL questionnaires also showed a significant difference between the GMFCS levels (p <0.001). There were moderate positive correlations between the GOAL child and parent questionnaire total scores and the FAQ walking level according to Spearman's rho (GOAL child and FAQ walking rho: 0.66, p<0.001; GOAL parent and FAQ walking rho: 0.58, p<0.001). Significance: The results demonstrate that the child and parent versions of the GOAL 5.0 are valid and reliable for the comprehensive assessment of Turkish children with CP.