The Library

The inter- and intra-observer reliability of a locomotion scoring scale for sheep

Tools

Kaler, Jasmeet, Wassink, Geert J. and Green, Laura E.. (2008) The inter- and intra-observer reliability of a locomotion scoring scale for sheep. Veterinary Journal, Vol.180 (No.2). pp. 189-194. ISSN 1090-0233

Preview

PDF
WRAP_Kaler_Sheep_inter_intra.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (241Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.028

Abstract

A seven point locomotion scoring scale, ranging from 0 = normal locomotion to 6 = unable to stand or move, has been developed. To test the between and within observer reliability of the scale, 65 movie clips of sheep with normal and varying degrees of abnormal locomotion were made. Three observers familiar with sheep locomotion were trained to read the movie clips. Thirty clips were randomly selected and used to test between and within observer agreement. There was high inter-(intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.93, weighted kappa [κw] = 0.93) and intra-(ICC = 0.90, κw = 0.91) observer reliability, with no evidence of observer bias. The main between score differences were for scores 0 (normal) and 1 (uneven posture and shortened stride but no head movement). The results indicate that the locomotion scoring scale using groups of defined observations for each point on the scale was reliable and may be a useful research tool to identify and monitor locomotion in individual sheep when used by trained observers.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) > Biological Sciences ( -2010)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Animal locomotion, Sheep -- Locomotion, Lameness in sheep
Journal or Publication Title:	Veterinary Journal
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1090-0233
Date:	4 March 2008
Volume:	Vol.180
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 189-194
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.028
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder:	Meat and Livestock Commission
References:	Agresti A. Modelling patterns of agreement and disagreement. 1992 . Statistical Methods in Medical Research 1, 201-228. Amory, J.R., Kloosterman, P., Barker, Z.E., Wright, J.L., Blowey, R.W., Green, L.E., 2006. Risk Factors for Reduced Locomotion in Dairy Cattle on Nineteen Farms in the Netherlands. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 1509-1515. Cohen, J., 1960. A co-efficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement 20, 37–47. Cohen, J., 1968. Weighted kappa; nominal scale agreement with provision for scaled disagreement or partial credit. Psychological Bulletin 70, 213–220. Ebel, R.L., 1951. Estimation of the Reliability of Ratings. Psychometrika 16, 407- 424. Dawson-Saunders, B., and Trapp, R.G., 1994. Basic and Clinical Biostatistics. London. Prentice Hall International. Fuller, C.J., Bladon, B.M., Driver, A.J., Barr, A.R.S., 2006. The Intra- and Inter- Assessor Reliability of Measurement of Functional Outcome by Lameness Scoring in Horses. The Veterinary Journal 171, 281-286. Fleiss, J.L., Cohen, J., 1973. The equivalence of weighted kappa and the intraclass correlation coefficient as measures of reliability. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 33, 613-619. Hewetson, M., Christley, T.M., Hunt, I.D., Voute, L.C., 2006. Investigations of the Reliability of the Observational Gait Analysis for the Assessment of Lameness in Horses. Veterinary Record 158, 852-858. Kaler, J., Green, L.E., 2007. Naming and recognition of six foot lesions of sheep using written and pictorial information: A study of 809 English sheep farmers, Prev. Vet. Med.doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2007.06.003 Keegan, K.G., Wilson, D.A., Wilson, D.J., Smith, B., Gaughan, E.M., Pleasant, R.S., Lillich, J.D., Kramer, J., Howard, R.D., Bacon-Miller, C., Davis, E.G., May, K.A., Cheramie, H.S., Valentino, W.L., Van Harreveld, P.D., 1998. Evaluation of Mild Lameness in Horses Trotting on a Treadmill by Clinicians and Interns Or Residents and Correlation of their Assessments with Kinematic Gait Analysis. American Journal of Veterinary Research 59, 1370-1377. Kestin, S.C., Knowles, T.G., Tinch, A.E., Gregory, 351 N.G., 1992. Prevalence of Leg Weakness in Broiler Chickens and its Relationship with Genotype. Veterinary Record 131, 190-194. Landis, J.R., Koch, G.G., 1977. The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics 33, 159–174. Ley, S.J., Livingston, A., Waterman, A.E., 1989. The Effect of Chronic Clinical Pain on Thermal and Mechanical Thresholds in Sheep. Pain 39, 353-357. Ludbrook, J., 2002. Statistical Techniques For Comparing Measurers And Methods Of Measurement: A Critical Review. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 29, 527-536. Maclure, M., Willett, W.C., 1987. Misinterpretation and misuse of the Kappa statistic. American Journal of Epidemiology 126, pp. 161-169. Main, D.C.J., Clegg, J., Spatz, A., Green, L.E., 2000. Repeatability of a locomotion scoring system for finishing pigs. Veterinary Record 147, 574-576. Manson, F.J., Leaver, J.D., 1988. The Influence of Concentrate Amount on Locomotion and Clinical Lameness in Dairy Cattle. Animal Production 47, 185- 190. May, S.A., Wyn-Jones, G., 1987. Identification of Hindleg Lameness. Equine Veterinary Journal 19, 185-188. McGraw, K.O., Wong, S.P., 1996. Forming Inferences about Some Intraclass Correlation Coefficients. Psychological Methods 1, pp. 30-46 Morris, C., Galuppi, B.E., Rosenbaum, P.L., 2004. Reliability of Family Report for the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 46, 455-460. Moss, P.A., 1994. Can there be Validity without Reliability? Educational Researcher 23, 5-12. Nelson, L.M., Longstreth Jr., W.T., Koepsell, T.D., Van Belle, G., 1990. Proxy respondents in epidemiologic research. Epidemiologic Review 12, 71-86. Nelson, J.C., Pepe, M.S., 2000.Statistical description of interrater variability in ordinal ratings. Statistical Methods in Medical Research 9 (5), 475-496. Nieuwhof, G.J., Bishop, S.C., 2005. Costs of the major endemic diseases of sheep in Great Britain and the potential benefits of reduction in disease impacts. Animal Science 81, 57–67. Reid, J., Nolan, A.M., 1991. A Comparison of 384 the Postoperative Analgesic and Sedative Effects of Flunixin and Papaveretum in the Dog. Journal of Small Animal Practice 32, 603-608. Shoukri, M.M., Asyali, M.H., Donner, A., 2004. Sample size requirements for the design of reliability study: Review and new results. Statistical Methods in Medical Research 13, 251-271. Shrout, P.E., Fleiss, J.L., 1979. Intraclass Correlations: Uses in Assessing Rater Reliability. Psychological Bulletin 86, 420-428. Shrout, P.E., 1998. Measurement Reliability and Agreement in Psychiatry. Statistical Methods in Medical Research 7, 301-317. Sprecher, D.J., Hostetler, D.E., Kaneene, J.B., 1997. A lameness scoring system that uses posture and gait to predict dairy cattle reproductive performance Theriogenology 47, 1179-1187. Stashak, T.S., 2002. Diagnosis of lameness. In: Stashak, T.S. (Eds.), Adams Lameness in Horses (Fifth edition), Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.Chapter 3, 113-183. Uebersax JS. Statistical modeling of expert ratings on medical treatment appropriateness.1993. Journal of the American Statistical Association 88, 421- 427. Uebersax, J.S., 2001. Statistical Methods for Rater Agreement http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jsuebersax/agree.htm. Accessed November 7, 2006. Walter, S.D., Eliasziw, M., Donner, A., 1998. Sample Size and Optimal Designs for Reliability Studies. Statistics in Medicine 17, 101-110. Welsh, E.M., Gettinby, G., Nolan, A.M., 1993. Comparison of a Visual Analogue Scale and a Numerical Rating Scale for Assessment of Lameness, using Sheep as a Model. American Journal of Veterinary Research 54, 976-983.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/567