Thai Translation and Cross-cultural adaptation of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale การแปลแบบประเมิน Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale ฉบับภาษาไทยโดยค านึงถึงวัฒนธรรมไทย

Abstract

Fear of falling can influence the ability to perform outdoor activities. Two self-administered measures are recommended for assessing fear of falling; The Fall Efficacy Scale (FES Scale) and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC Scale). The ABC Scale could assess a variety of activities and environmental contexts with less ceiling effect than the FES Scale but there is no Thai translated version of the ABC scale, resulting in limited implementation of this scale in Thai population. This study aimed to translate, cross-cultural adaptation of the ABC Scale into Thai and to examine its test-retest reliability. This study consisted of two main processes, 1) Thai translation & cross-cultural adaptation and 2) assessing the test-retest reliability of the ABC scale Thai version. The final ABC Thai version was further assessed in 40 Thai elderly subjects twice within one week for its test-retest reliability. Estimation of test-retest reliability was indicated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC3,1). The final Thai version of the ABC scale has been developed. Four items of the ABC scale were modified from the original version to ensure content equivalence and accommodate cultural, environment and climate differences of Thailand. The adjusted items were items 10, 12, 13 by adapting the word “mall” to “mall/market” to fit the lifestyle of elderly in Thai. Item 16 was adapted the word “icy sidewalk” to “slippery sidewalk” to accommodate climate difference in Thailand where there was no snow. Regarding the testretest reliability, the total ABC score’s ICC was 0.99 (95% CI=0.98-0.99) indicating excellent test-retest reliability in elderly persons. Each item of the ABC scale also demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability from the ICC ranged from 0.79-0.96. The ABC Thai version was cross-cultural translated according to the WHO guidelines. This scale showed excellent test-retest reliability in elderly persons.