The reliability and measurement error of the movement quality assessment for athletes

Abstract

Introduction The Movement Quality Assessment for Athletes (MQA-A) was recently developed, however, the reliability of its scoring procedure is yet to be determined. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, agreement between live and video scoring methods and measurement error of the MQA-A. Methods The athletic movement quality of 50 adolescent athletes (age: 16.1 ± 0.6 years, mass: 81.7 ± 6.1 kg, height: 173.9 ± 10.5 cm) was measured using the MQA-A by two experienced raters, both live and via video. Intra-rater reliability was determined using the movement quality scores of a single rater, inter-rater reliability was determined for live and video scores and agreement between live and video scoring methods were assessed. Results Intra-rater reliability and inter-rater reliability for video and live scoring methods was evident (ICC ≥ 0.90, Kw: 0.39–0.90). There was preliminary evidence for agreement between live and video scoring (ICC = 0.86, Kw: 0.61–0.82). Discussion Thus, the MQA-A offers a reliable tool for measuring athletic movement quality in adolescent athletes.