Argentinian Spanish Adaptation of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale

Background There are diverse factors that increase the risk of falls for older adults. One of the most important is a lack of confidence when performing everyday activities. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, developed in Canada, is used to quantify the perception of confidence in balance on the part of an older adult when carrying out habitual activities. As yet, an Argentine version of the ABC does not exist. The objective of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the internal consistency of the ABC Scale questionnaire for use in the Argentine adult population over 65 years of age. Materials and methods The translation and transcultural adaptation process followed the World Health Organization guidelines for instrument adaptation. This included (1) independent forward translation by bilingual experts; (2) synthesis by a multidisciplinary panel; (3) back-translation to verify conceptual equivalence; and (4) pretesting with cognitive debriefing in the target population. Participants were community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who were literate and capable of walking independently or with assistive devices. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results A total of 30 subjects with a median age of 69.5 years participated; 70% of these were women. Five of the 16 items in the ABC were modified for the transcultural adaptation. The median of the ABC was 83.6% (IQR: 67.2-98.4). A roof effect was observed in five (16.7%) of the subjects. The minimum value was 31.2 points. The result for internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha: 0.92). Conclusions The original version of the ABC Scale was successfully translated and culturally adapted for use in the older adult population in Argentina. The Argentine version demonstrated excellent internal consistency and was easily understood and completed by participants, confirming its feasibility in clinical settings. This culturally adapted tool provides healthcare professionals with a reliable instrument to assess balance confidence in older adults. Further studies are needed to validate its use in clinical populations with specific health conditions and to explore its applicability in fall prevention strategies.