The Berg Balance Scale Short Form: A Rasch Analysis Method

Although the implementation of the Berg Balance Scale is simple and requires relatively little time, this scale can cause fatigue for a wide range of older adults. To remove the limitations of the previous short versions, to make a standard and reliable short version of the Berg Balance Scale, and check its validity with other relevant concepts, the present study was conducted.

a convenience sample of 55 older adults residing in care centers in elderly people residing in care centers in Tehran, Iran during the years 2020 to 2022 were enrolled in this study. The tools used included the Berg balance scale, speed test, motor planning test, muscle strength, and functional mobility and cognition. Rasch analysis was performed on 14 Berg Balance Scale items and the resulting scale was compared using Spearman's correlation with the original version and other relevant concepts. Analyses were performed by R v4.2.1 and IBM SPSS v23.

Rasch analysis revealed a seven-item short form. The item "sitting to standing" had the lowest level of difficulty and "standing on one foot" had the highest level of difficulty. Matching the short form with other relevant concepts showed the same performance as t he full form.

The proposed short form can be considered as a reliable and realistic tool to check the balance ability of older adults. Besides the findings, more studies are needed to confirm the validity and structure of this short form. Significance/Implications: This study provided a shorter form of Berg Balance Scale that can be used for screening of fall risk and other balance related problems in older adults with more ease for older adults and time consuming for evaluators.