Validity of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale in community-dwelling persons after stroke.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the convergent validity, sensitivity to change, floor and ceiling effects of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M) in community-dwelling stroke survivors. The secondary objective was to determine the correlations between the CB&M and lower-limb motor recovery and strength.


METHODS
Validity study.


METHODS
Two university-based research centers.


METHODS
Community-dwelling persons after stroke (N=44; 24 men, 20 women; mean age, 62.6+/-12.6y). Baseline measures were taken 3 months after the onset of stroke (98.6+/-52.6d); participants were reassessed 8 months poststroke (246.8+/-57.2d).


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
CB&M, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up & Go (TUG), Chedoke McMaster Stroke Assessment (CMSA) Impairment Inventory for leg and foot, concentric bilateral isokinetic strength of the lower-limb flexor and extensor muscle groups using a dynamometer. The magnitude of the associations and the standardized response means (SRMs) among the CB&M, BBS, and TUG were used to examine the convergent validity and sensitivity to change, respectively.


RESULTS
Moderate to high convergent validities (rho=.70 to .83, P<.001) were observed among the CB&M, BBS, and TUG. The CB&M was moderately correlated with the CMSA leg and foot scores (rho=.61 and .63, respectively, P<.001) and the paretic limb strength (rho=.67, P<.001). The CB&M demonstrated the greatest ability to detect change between the baseline and follow-up assessments (SRM=.83).


CONCLUSIONS
The CB&M is valid and sensitive to change in assessing functional balance and mobility in ambulatory stroke survivors with moderate to mild neurologic impairments.
Knorr
Svetlana
S
Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Brouwer
Brenda
B
Garland
S Jayne
SJ
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*