The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Fullerton Advanced Balance scale in children with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT

The Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale is a multi-item balance assessment test designed to measure balance in relatively higher functioning individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the FAB in children with cerebral palsy (CP). A total of 40 children with CP participated in this study. The internal consistency of the FAB was performed using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and the test–retest reliability was assessed. To verify the concurrent validity, scores on the FAB were compared with the pediatric balance scale (PBS) using the Spearman correlation coefficient. In addition, exploratory factor analysis was measured to explore the construct validity. The FAB showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha value = 0.92) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.99). Concurrent validity was positively correlated with the FAB and PBS (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). Exploratory factor analysis revealed two dominant factors that explained 69.85% of the total variance of the scale. The FAB is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to measure the balance abilities in children with CP.

KEYWORDS:

• Balance
• cerebral palsy
• reliability
• validity

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Propt21 grant through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2015R1D1A1A01057620).