Abstract
Four common tests of balance and mobility were administered to 45 healthy women, aged 55–71 years: Sharpened Romberg (also defined as tandem stance), eyes open and closed; One-Legged Stance Test, eyes open and closed; Functional Reach; and Sit-To-Stand test. Two independent observers scored the tests, which were performed on two successive days. Inter-rater (IRR) and test-retest reliability (TRR) were good. Across the six different tests, Intraclass Correlation Coefficients ranged from 0.95 to 0.99 for scoring consistency between raters, and from 0.73 to 0.93 within raters. This is in line with previous findings based on similar subjects and similar, though not identical, testing procedures. Intercorrelations between the scores were moderate: r coefficients ranged 0.40–0.66. The results suggest that this simple test battery provides reliable scores, and that the different tests relate to a homogeneous construct, while not being redundant. It thus seems worthwhile to further investigate whether they represent and measure a unidimensional domain, rather than conceptually different dimensions, in view of achieving a unique measure of balance performance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander N.B.: Postural control in older adults. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 42: 93–108, 1994.
Harada N., Chiu V., Damron-Rodriguez J.A., Fowler E., Siu A., Reuben D.B.: Screening for balance and mobility impairment in elderly individuals living in residential care facilities. Phys. Ther. 75: 462–469, 1995.
Harada N., Chiu V., Fowler E., Lee M., Reuben D.B.: Physical therapy to improve functioning of older people in residential care facilities. Phys. Ther. 75: 830–839, 1995.
Berg K.: Balance and its measure in the elderly: a review. Physiotherapy Canada 41: 240–246, 1989.
Fregly A.R., Smith M.J., Graybiel A.: yRevised normative standards of performance of men on a quantitative ataxia test battery. Acta Otolaryngol. 75: 10–16, 1973.
Bohannon R.W., Larkin P.A., Cook A.C., Gear J., Singer J.: Decrease in timed balance test scores with aging. Phys. Ther. 64: 1067–1070, 1984.
Briggs R.C., Gossman M.R., Birch R., Drews J.E., Shaddeau S.A.: Balance performance among non-institutionalized elderly women. Phys. Ther. 69: 748–756, 1989.
Iverson B.D., Gossman M.R., Shaddeau S.A., Turner M.E.: Balance performance, force production, and activity levels in non-institutionalized men 60 to 90 years of age. Phys. Ther. 70: 348–355, 1990.
Duncan P.W., Weiner D.K., Chandler J., Studenski S.: Functional reach: a new clinical measure of balance. J. Gerontol. 45: M192–M197, 1990.
Duncan P.W., Studenski S., Chandler J., Prescott B.: Functional reach: predictive validity in a sample of elderly male veterans. J. Gerontol. 47: M93–M98, 1992.
Weiner D.K., Duncan P.W., Chandler J., Studenski S.A.: Functional reach: a marker of physical frailty. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 40: 203–207, 1991.
Csuka M., McCarty D.J.: Simple method for measurement of lower extremity muscle strength. Am. J. Med. 78: 77–81, 1985.
MacRae P.G., Lacourse M., Moldavon R.: Physical performance measures that predict faller status in community-dwelling older adults. JOSPT16: 123–128, 1992.
Mathias S., Nayak U.S.L., Isaacs B.: Balance in elderly patients: the “get up and go” test. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 67: 387–389, 1986.
Johnston M.V., Keith R.A., Hinderer S.R.: Measurement standards for interdisciplinary medical rehabilitation. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 73: S3–S23, 1992.
Thapa P.B., Gideon P., Fought R.L., Kormicki M., Ray W.A.: Comparison of clinical and biomechanical measures of balance and mobility in elderly nursing home residents. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 42: 493–500, 1994.
Tinetti M.E., Williams T.F., Mayewski R.: Fall risk index for elderly patients based on number of chronic disabilities. Am. J. Med. 80: 429–434, 1986.
Harris A.J.: Harris Tests of Lateral Dominance. The Psychological Corp., New York, 1958, p. 10.
Bohannon R.W.: One-legged balance test times. Percept. Mot. Skills 78: 801–802, 1994.
Hageman P.A., Leibowitz J.M., Blanke D.: Age and gender effects on postural control measures. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 76: 961–965, 1995.
Shrout P.E., Fleiss J.L.: Intraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability. Psychol. Bull. 86: 420–428, 1979.
Heitmann D.K., Gossman M.R., Shaddeau S.A., Jackson J.R.: Balance performance and step width in non-institutionalized, elderly, female fallers and non-fallers. Phys. Ther. 69: 923–931, 1989.
Potvin A.R., Tourtelotte W.W.: Quantitative examination of neurologic functions — Vol. II: Methodology for test and patient assessment and design of a computer-automated system. CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton (FA), 1985, pp. 59–68.
Rossiter-Fornoff J.E., Wolf S.L., Wolfson L.I., Buchner D.M., and the FICSIT Group: A cross-sectional validation study of the FICSIT common data base static balance measures. J. Gerontol. 50A: M291–M297, 1995.
Seeman T.E., Charpentier P.A., Berkman L.F., Tinetti M.E., Guralnick J.M., Albert M., Blazer D., Rowe J.W.: Predicting changes in physical performance in a high-functioning elderly cohort: Mac Arthur studies of successful aging. J. Gerontol. 49: M97–M108, 1994.
Campbell A.J., Borrie M.J., Spears G.F.: Risk factors for falls in a community-based prospective study of people 70 years and older. J. Gerontol. 44: M112–M117, 1989.
Guralnik J.M., Branch L.G., Cummings S.R., Curb J.D.: Physical performance measures in aging research. J. Gerontol. 44: M141–M146, 1989.
Nevitt M.C., Cummings S.R., Kidd S., Black D.: Risk factors for recurrent nonsyncopal falls: a prospective study. JAMA 261: 2663–2668, 1989.
Lipsey M.W.: Design Sensitivity. Statistical Power for Experimental Research. SAGE, Newbury Park, 1990, pp. 100–101.
Berg K.O., Wood-Dauphinee S.L., Williams I., Maki B.: Measuring balance in the elderly: validation of an instrument. Can. J. Public Health 83: S7–S11, 1992.
Berg K.O., Maki B.E., Williams J.I., Holliday P.J., Wood-Dauphinee S.L.: Clinical and laboratory measures of postural balance in an elderly population. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 73: 1073–1080, 1992.
Lichtenstein M.J., Burger M.C., Shields S.L., Shiavi R.G.: Comparison of biomechanics platform measures of balance and videotaped measures of gait with a clinical mobility scale in elderly women. J. Gerontol. 45: M49–M54, 1990.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Franchignoni, F., Tesio, L., Martino, M.T. et al. Reliability of four simple, quantitative tests of balance and mobility in healthy elderly females. Aging Clin Exp Res 10, 26–31 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03339630
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03339630