title: Concurrent Validity and Reliability of a New Balance Scale Used in Older Adults.
abstract: Adults over the age of 70 are at risk of falling. Various balance tests have been developed to identify balance dysfunctions. Their disadvantages including ceiling effects and low sensitivity and duration led to the development of a new balance test. The present study was conducted to determine the concurrent validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the Zur Balance Scale (ZBS). In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 76 senior adults were recruited from an independent senior living community and were administered the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the ZBS. The BBS was used as the standard of comparison. The ZBS includes head movements and time to maintain to balance. All the subjects completed the tests. Concurrent validity was r = 0.782 (p < 0.0001). The ZBS had high intra-test (0.897) and inter-test (0.934) correlation coefficients. Its sensitivity was 60 % and specificity 91 % for identifying falls. The dynamic portions of the ZBS capture the integration of the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems, as it mimics dynamic spatial aspects of daily activities. We conclude that the ZBS is reliable compared with BBS. It is a simple, easy to administer test that may predict future risk of falls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. zurbalance@gmail.com.|The Israeli Center for Dizziness and Balance Disorders, 142 Ahuza St, Ra'anana, 4330010, Israel. zurbalance@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Oz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zur
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carmeli
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Balance; Balance testing; Reliability; Validity; Vestibular