title: The Short Version of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale for Older Adults with Diabetes-Convergent, Discriminant and Concurrent Validity: A Pilot Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The short version of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC-6) is advantageous in busy clinical or research settings because it can be administered in less time than the original 16-item Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC-16). This pilot study examined the convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity of the ABC-6 in older adults with diabetes mellitus with and without diagnosed diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty older adults (aged ≥65) were age- and sex-matched in 3 groups: 10 with diabetes (DM group), 10 with diagnosed DPN (DPN group) and 10 without diabetes (no-DM group). Balance confidence was quantified by the ABC-16, which includes the ABC-6. Potential correlates were evaluated in physical and psychological domains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ABC-6 and ABC-16 balance confidence scores were strongly correlated (r=0.969; p<0.001; convergent validity). The ABC-6 revealed significant differences in balance confidence between the no-DM and the DM groups (p<0.001; discriminant validity), whereas the ABC-16 did not (p>0.05). The ABC-6 was moderately, but significantly, correlated with physical activity level (r=0.528; p=0.017), mobility (r=-0.520; p=0.027), balance (r=0.633; p=0.003), and depressive symptoms (r=-0.515; p=0.020) in the DM study groups (concurrent validity).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ABC-6 and ABC-16 had excellent convergent validity, and both ABC scales had similar concurrent validity. However, the ABC-6 was more sensitive in detecting subtle differences in balance confidence in older adults with diabetes without diagnosed DPN than the ABC-16. Overall, this pilot study provided evidence of the validity of the ABC-6 in older adults with diabetes. Further exploration involving a larger sample size is recommended to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hewston
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: nandinijd@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nandini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Deshpande
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: aging; balance; balance confidence; chutes; confiance en son équilibre; diabète sucré de type 2; falls; type 2 diabetes mellitus; vieillissement; équilibre