Unipedal balance test for older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies providing normative data

The unipedal balance test (UBT) is widely used with older adults, but interpreting performance on the test requires the availability of normative values.

To use meta-analysis to provide normative values for the UBT for adults ≥60years.

Electronic searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus as well as hand searches.

Inclusion required that articles provided means and standard deviations for UBT time for strata including at least 30 participants without pathology.

The two authors independently abstracted information on UBT procedures and performance. The Comprehensive Meta Analysis (3.0) program (random effects model) was used to consolidate UBT data from 23 articles. A custom six component (14 point) checklist was used to rate article quality.

Meta-analysis showed the mean UBT time for 13,454 tested individuals to be 26.9 seconds. Times were longer for individuals who were younger, male, and allowed longer test durations (e.g. ≥120seconds vs 30seconds).

Although the UBT norms presented herein provide a better estimate of normal performance than individual studies, differences between studies in age and gender strata and test durations limit the generalizability of some of the normative values generated using meta-analysis.