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Peer-reviewedCC BYJournal of rehabilitation medicine

Psychometric properties of the timed backward walk test in people with stroke.

  • Yu Qin1
  • Siyue Li1
  • Peiming Chen1
  • Thomson W L Wong1
  • Cynthia Y Y Lai1
  • Shamay S M Ng2
  1. 1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
  2. 2ProfessorDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. [email protected].
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Abstract

Objective

To examine the psychometric properties of the Timed Backward Walk test in people with stroke.Design

Cross-sectional study.Subjects

60 people with stroke and 30 healthy adults aged 55 years and older.Methods

Participants performed the Timed Backward Walk test and standard clinical assessments. Discriminative validity was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve. Reliability (one-week test-retest, inter-rater, intra-rater) was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Construct validity was examined through correlations with motor function, strength, balance, and gait measures.Results

People with chronic stroke took significantly longer to complete the test than healthy adults (p < 0.001), with an area under the curve of 0.968 and an optimal cut-off of 7.22 s. Test-retest, inter-rater, and intra-rater reliability were all excellent. The standard error of measurement was 1.62 s and the minimal detectable change was 4.49 s. The complete time showed strong positive correlations with functional mobility and gait speed measures (ρ = 0.840-0.897) and moderate negative correlations with balance, lower-limb motor function, and ankle dorsiflexor strength (ρ = -0.408 to -0.647). The Timed Backward Walk test demonstrated excellent reliability, discriminative validity, and construct validity in people with chronic stroke. It is a feasible and sensitive complement to forward gait assessments.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{qin2026psychometric,
  title = {{Psychometric properties of the timed backward walk test in people with stroke.}},
  author = {Yu Qin and Siyue Li and Peiming Chen and Thomson W L Wong and Cynthia Y Y Lai and Shamay S M Ng},
  journal = {Journal of rehabilitation medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.2340/jrm.v58.46292},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42861797},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Psychometric properties of the timed backward walk test in people with stroke.
AU  - Yu Qin
AU  - Siyue Li
AU  - Peiming Chen
AU  - Thomson W L Wong
AU  - Cynthia Y Y Lai
AU  - Shamay S M Ng
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
JO  - Journal of rehabilitation medicine
DO  - 10.2340/jrm.v58.46292
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42861797
AB  - Objective  To examine the psychometric properties of the Timed Backward Walk test in people with stroke.Design  Cross-sectional study.Subjects  60 people with stroke and 30 healthy adults aged 55 years and older.Methods  Participants performed the Timed Backward Walk test and standard clinical assessments. Discriminative validity was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve. Reliability (one-week test-retest, inter-rater, intra-rater) was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Construct validity was examined through correlations with motor function, strength, balance, and gait measures.Results  People with chronic stroke took significantly longer to complete the test than healthy adults (p < 0.001), with an area under the curve of 0.968 and an optimal cut-off of 7.22 s. Test-retest, inter-rater, and intra-rater reliability were all excellent. The standard error of measurement was 1.62 s and the minimal detectable change was 4.49 s. The complete time showed strong positive correlations with functional mobility and gait speed measures (ρ = 0.840-0.897) and moderate negative correlations with balance, lower-limb motor function, and ankle dorsiflexor strength (ρ = -0.408 to -0.647). The Timed Backward Walk test demonstrated excellent reliability, discriminative validity, and construct validity in people with chronic stroke. It is a feasible and sensitive complement to forward gait assessments.
SN  - 1650-1977
SN  - 1651-2081
ER  -