OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility (i.e., agreement and
inter-rater reliability) of two task-specific functional capacity evaluation
protocols meant to simulate the daily workload of collectors using either
two-wheeled waste containers or bags.
METHODS: A within-subjects design was used to assess reproducibility in terms of
agreement and reliability. Twenty-one household waste collectors were
assessed twice with both task-specific protocols with a time interval of
seven days. Agreement was assessed using the Standard Error of Measurement
(SEM), and inter-rater reliability was assessed using the Intra-Class
Correlation Coefficient (ICC).
RESULTS: For the task-specific protocol for waste collection using two-wheeled
containers, agreement was excellent (SEM = 0.9 points; 0-340 scale; mean score
339), but inter-rater reliability was poor (ICC = 0.22). For the task-specific
protocol for bag collection, agreement was acceptable (SEM = 53 s; continuous
scale; mean time 779 s), and inter-rater reliability was good (ICC = 0.79).
CONCLUSIONS: Reproducibility of the task-specific protocol for bag collection is
acceptable to good, while the task-specific protocol for waste collection
using two-wheeled containers has an excellent agreement but a poor
reliability. Although face and content validity have been covered within the
development of both protocols, further studies should evaluate the construct
and criterion-related validity of both task-specific protocols.
