Between-session and inter-rater reliability of the modified tuck jump assessment in healthy adult athletes

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the between-session and inter-rater reliability of the tuck jump assessment (TJA). Design: Reliability study Setting: Human movement laboratory Participants: Sixteen recreational participants (8 females, 8 males; mean age: 22.4 years) participated in the study. Participants performed the modified TJA in two sessions separated by one week. Main Outcome Measures: Between-session and inter-rater reliability were determined by two independent raters. The standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable difference (SDD) were calculated. Results: The between-session reliability for the total scores was excellent for rater 1 (ICC=0.93, 95% CI=0.78-0.98) and rater 2 (ICC=0.96, 95% CI=0.89-0.99), with SEM’s and SDD’s ranging between 0.5-0.7 and 1.3-2.1 respectively. The inter-rater reliability for the total scores was good for session 1 (ICC=0.85, 95% CI=0.58-0.95) and session 2 (ICC=0.88, 95% CI=0.66-0.96). In general, there was poor agreement for item analysis for both raters between sessions as well as between raters. Conclusion: The modified TJA revealed excellent between-session and good inter-rater reliability for the total score. Reliability for the between-session was poor for the individual items. The relatively poor reliability for the individual items imply that caution is warranted when solely interpreting the total score.