Preliminary Assessment of Balance With the Berg Balance Scale in Adults Who Have a Leg Amputation and Dwell in the Community: Rasch Rating Scale Analysis.

Background. Self-report measures of balance and multidimensional mobility assessments are common for people with a leg amputation, yet clinical assessment of balance ability remains less explored. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), typically used for other populations with impaired balance, has been used...

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Published in:Physical Therapy Vol. 93; no. 11; pp. 1520 - 1530
Main Authors: Wong, Christopher Kevin, Chen, Christine C., Welsh, Jenna
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Nov2013
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Nov2013
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        atl: Preliminary Assessment of Balance With the Berg Balance Scale in Adults Who Have a Leg Amputation and Dwell in the Community: Rasch Rating Scale Analysis.
      aug:
        au:
          Wong, Christopher Kevin
          Chen, Christine C.
          Welsh, Jenna
        affil: Program in Physical Therapy, Columbia University, 710 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032
      sug:
        subj:
          Balance, Postural Evaluation
          Clinical Assessment Tools Evaluation
          Instrument Validation
          Below-Knee Amputation
          Community Living
          Psychometrics
          Clinical Assessment Tools
          Scales
          Validation Studies
          Rasch Analysis
          Convenience Sample
          Confidence Intervals
          Data Analysis Software
          Descriptive Statistics
          Factor Analysis
          Sample Size
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Female
          Male
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Female
          Male
      ab: Background. Self-report measures of balance and multidimensional mobility assessments are common for people with a leg amputation, yet clinical assessment of balance ability remains less explored. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), typically used for other populations with impaired balance, has been used for young people with a high level of functioning after traumatic amputation but rarely for older people after vascular amputation. Objective. The study objective was to examine the psychometric properties of the BBS with Rasch rating scale analysis to determine the validity and utility of the BBS in assessing balance ability in adults who have a leg amputation and dwell in the community. Design. Rating scale analysis was applied to BBS scores obtained from a single assessment. Methods. Adult volunteers (men and women) who had a leg amputation (any level and etiology) and dwelled in the community were recruited from a hospital-based community support group and a prosthetic clinic. Rating scale analysis of the BBS was used to assess unidimensionality, internal validity, goodness of fit, structural integrity, and person and item analyses. Results. The study participants were 40 people (26 men and 14 women; 57.8 [SD=9.7] years old) with leg amputations (24 transtibial, 13 transfemoral, and 3 bilateral) of mixed etiology (32 vascular and 8 nonvascular). The psychometric properties of the BBS confirmed that it measures the unidimensional construct of balance ability with adequate validity and with goodness of fit and structural integrity that meet the acceptability criteria. Person measures revealed that some participants scored near the top of the BBS, suggesting a ceiling effect; item measures revealed that participants with leg amputations had the most difficulty performing the following tasks: standing with 1 leg in front, turning 360 degrees, and placing alternate foot on a stool. Limitations. Limitations included a convenience sample and a lack of rater reliability testing. Conclusions. The BBS cohered with the unidimensional construct of balance ability and had strong internal validity for use in a variety of people with leg amputations.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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