Evaluation of interrater and intrarater reliability of beighton and horan joint mobility index

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to determine interrater and intrarater reliability of Beighton and Horan Joint Mobility Index (BHJMI) which is used to describe hypermobility in university students. Materials and methods: Seventy-two physiotherapy students with an average age of 20.36±1.24 years (ranges 18 to 25) were included in the study (29 females and 43 males). To detect interrater reliability, all the subjects were examined by two raters at different sessions at the same day. For intrarater reliability of the BHJMI, the students were assessed and reassessed by the same rater with an average of 12.84±7.41 days (6-28 days) apart. Two types of scores for BHJMI, including composite scores (ranges 0 to 9), and categorized scores in three categories (0 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 9) were calculated. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze the BHJMI composite score. Percentage agreement was also calculated for BHJMI composite and categorized scores. Results: ICC for interrater reliability of the BHJMI composite score was 0.82 and for intrarater reliability of the composite score was 0.92. The percentage agreement for interrater and intrarater reliability of~ the BHJMI category scores (75% and 86%) were higher than the BHJMI composite scores (42% and 43%). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the BHJMI was a practical and reliable method for defining hypermobility among healthy young subjects.