Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Berg Balance Scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a Turkish version of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and assess its reliability and validity.

Sixty healthy volunteers older than 65 years were included in to the study. Subjects who had lower extremity amputation, or were armchair or bedridden were excluded. After translation process, the Turkish version of the scale was administered to each participant twice with an interval of 2 weeks. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to assess intra- and inter-observer reliability. Chronbach alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency of the total BBS score. Interclass correlation coefficient was calcuated to examine test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the scale with Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Timed Up and Go Test (TUG). Construct validity was assessed with factor analysis.

The mean age in years of the participants were 77.00+/-5.67 (range: 67-92 yrs). The ICC for intra- and inter- observer reliability was 0.98 (p<0.0001) and 0.97 (p<0.0001), respectively. Chronbach alpha of the Turkish version of the BBS was 0.98. The test-retest reliability (ICC) of the Turkish version of the BBS was determined as 0.98 for the total score, and ranged from 0.86-0.99 for individual items. In terms of validity, the Turkish version of the BBS was correlated with the MBI (in positive direction) and TUG (in negative direction) (r=0.67 p<0.0001; r=-0.75 p<0.0001, respectively).

The Turkish version of the BBS is a reliable and valid scale to be used in balance assessment of Turkish older adults.