Investigating Relationships between Balance Confidence and Balance Ability in Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Science
• Motor Control

Background:

• Enhancing balance confidence in older adults is crucial for maintaining quality of life and preventing activity avoidance.
• Understanding the relationship between perceived balance confidence and actual balance performance is key for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between balance confidence and balance performance in older adults before and after a balance training program.
• To determine if balance confidence and performance, and their interrelationship, change following several weeks of targeted training.
• To explore these relationships under varied sensory and support conditions.

Main Methods:

• A balance training program involving standing and walking exercises was administered to healthy older adults and stroke survivors.
• Balance ability was assessed using the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS).
• Balance confidence was measured using the Activities Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale before and after the training period.

Main Results:

• Both healthy participants and stroke survivors demonstrated significant improvements in balance ability, indicated by decreased BESS errors post-training.
• While healthy individuals showed a significant negative correlation between BESS errors and ABC scores (improved ability linked to improved confidence), stroke survivors did not show this correlation despite improved ability.
• Balance confidence (ABC scores) did not significantly increase in either group after training, although healthy participants had higher baseline confidence than stroke survivors.

Conclusions:

• Balance training effectively enhances physical balance abilities in older adults, including those with a history of stroke.
• The link between improved balance ability and increased balance confidence is present in healthy older adults but not evident in stroke survivors post-training.
• Further research is needed to understand the factors influencing balance confidence in clinical populations and to develop interventions that enhance both ability and confidence.