Computer-adaptive balance testing improves discrimination between community-dwelling elderly fallers and nonfallers.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To build an item response theory-based computer adaptive test (CAT) for balance from 3 traditional, fixed-form balance measures: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and dynamic gait index (DGI); and to examine whether the CAT's psychometric performance exceeded that of individual measures.

Design

Secondary analysis combining 2 existing datasets.

Setting

Community based.

Participants

Community-dwelling older adults (N=187) who were aged ≥65 years (mean age, 75.2±6.8y, 69% women).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main outcome measures

The BBS, POMA, and DGI items were compiled into an initial 38-item bank. The Rasch partial credit model was used for final item bank calibration. CAT simulations were cond

SUBMITTER: Pardasaney PK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4090089 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature