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Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Author Spotlight: Developing Low-Tech Balance Assessment Methods for Broad-Spectrum Healthcare Applications
Published on: September 1, 2023
[Design and validation of a balance test with context characteristics for older adults]
A M Silva Artunduaga1, M Giné-Garriga2, M L Alfonso Mora3
1Programa de Fisioterapia, Departamento de Movimiento Corporal Humano, Facultad de Enfermería y Rehabilitación, Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Colombia.
Background:
Balance impairment is multifactorial in older adults and increases risk of falls in this population. There are tests to evaluate balance; nevertheless, they are focused on the evaluation of a single task, in static environments, without representing postural control demands in everyday life situations, such as person interaction-context and multi-tasking activities.
Objectives:
Design and validate a balance test with ecological validity for older adults.
Materials And Methods:
A mixed data collection methodology was developed, with an exploratory sequential DEXPLOX methodological design derived from a DITRIAC concurrent triangulation design.
Results:
The results from the first 3phases permitted constructing the items of the balance assessment test to, then, conduct the first validation by experts, determining a Fleiss' kappa of 0.4 and a Lawshe content validity ratio of 0.95. The second validation by experts yielded as a result in face validity an excellent strength of inter-rater agreement and a Lawshe content validity ratio of 0.95 in relevance and 0.97 in pertinence.
Conclusions:
The test designed showed strong characteristics of ecological validity and can be applied to older adults, given that it includes items requiring somatosensory responses, like those performed in activities of daily living and items with cognitive dual task activities used in daily routines.
