Volume 88, Issue 4 , Pages 496-503, April 2007
Validation of the Chinese Translated Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale
Abstract
Mak MK, Lau AL, Law FS, Cheung CC, Wong IS. Validation of the Chinese translated Activities-Specific Balance Confidence scale.
Objectives
To translate contents of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale into Chinese (Cantonese), to examine the psychometric properties (internal reliability and validity) of this scale for use with Chinese older adults in Hong Kong, and to determine the level of self-perceived balance confidence of this population.
Design
A 2-phase exploratory study: formative qualitative research and a cross-sectional survey to establish the psychometric properties of the Chinese translated ABC (ABC-C) scale.
Setting
Community based.
Participants
One hundred older community-dwelling subjects.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure
Measurement of perceived level of confidence in maintaining balance using the ABC-C scale. This instrument contains 16 items on indoor and outdoor activities requiring different levels of balance function.
Results
Four of the 16 ABC-C scale items had to be modified to achieve content equivalence and cultural relevance to Hong Kong. Final test items of this scale showed high internal consistency with a Cronbach α coefficient of .97. The instrument was found to have excellent test-retest and very good interrater reliability with intraclass coefficients of .99 and .85, respectively. Results of a factor analysis conducted on the scale showed evidence of a coherent 1-domain structure. The mean perceived balance confidence level ± standard deviation of 100 community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong, performed by using the ABC-C scale, was 71.6±23.7.
Conclusions
Results of the present study verified that the ABC-C scale is a culturally relevant, valid, and reliable tool for measuring self-perceived balance confidence in Chinese older adults. These were reflected in very good to excellent internal consistency of items, test-retest and interrater reliability, and construct validity shown.
Key Words: Accidental falls, Balance, Elderly, Fear, Rehabilitation
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
PII: S0003-9993(07)00056-1
doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2007.01.018
© 2007 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume 88, Issue 4 , Pages 496-503, April 2007
