Abstract
Purpose
To examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese short version of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC-6), and its predictive value for prospective falls in community-dwelling older adults.
Patients and Methods
A total of 391 community older adults completed the prospective study. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, structural validity and discriminant validity were analyzed. To determine the accuracy of ABC-6 total score in predicting falls, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed, and comparisons with the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC-16) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were made.
Results
Excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.938) and test-retest reliability (ICC=0.964, 95% CI: 0.947–0.977) were found for the ABC-6. Exploratory factor analysis suggested that ABC-6 had a one-factor structure (explained variance, 68.30%). The optimal cutoff value, sensitivity and specificity of ABC-6 to distinguish fallers from non-fallers was ≤ 60.00%, 70.83% and 84.26%, respectively, and there was no significant difference in the predictive value among the ABC-6, ABC-16, and BBS.
Conclusion
The Chinese version of the ABC-6 scale was a valid and reliable tool for measuring self-perceived balance confidence in community-dwelling older adults, and can be used as an effective assessment tool to predict future falls.
Acknowledgment
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.