1. Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale in People with Multiple Sclerosis
Alia Alghwiri1, Hanan Khalil2, Alham Al-Sharman2
1. Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Jordan
2. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences , Jordan University of Science and Technology 
Introduction
Results
Results - continued
Participants:
Thirty-three patients with MS.
Age, Mean (SD) = 38 (9)
Female = 24 (73%)
Reliability:
Excellent test-retest reliability of the A-ABC total score:
ICC=.97; 95% CI=
High agreement in test-retest reliability of the A-ABC item score with a range from:
ICC=.56 "reach at eye level" TO
ICC=.98 "walk on icy sidewalks“
Validity:
A_ABC & BBS: (r = .72, P <.05)
A_ABC & DGI: (r = .51, P <.05)
A_ABC & BI: (r = .50, P < .05)
Imbalance and unsteadiness are common impairments that affect most of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) at some stage during the course of their disease.1 The prevalence of falls in people with MS has been increased dramatically and was reported to be 52%.2,3 Therefore balance assessment in this population is critical.
The Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC) is one of the valid scales for balance assessment in people with MS. An Arabic version of the ABC was created and validated in people with vestibular disorders.4
The availability of Arabic balance scales that are validated in MS population would provide good information about the balance status in Arabic-speaking people with MS.
Table 2. Correlations using spearman's correlation coefficients
A-ABC
BBS
DGI BI
.72*
.51*
.71*
.50*
.58*
.56*
BDI
-.23
-.15
-.18
-.13
Table 1. Mean and standard deviation of measures’ scores
Mean (SD)
Measure
43.1 (11.8)
Berg Balance Scale
17.9 (8.4)
Dynamic Gait Index
91.2 (10.2)
Barthel Index
17.9 (11.6)
Beck Depression Inventory
69.8 (25.1)
A-ABC_1st visit
68.9 (25.3)
A-ABC_2nd visit
*Correlation is significant at p<.05
Aim
Conclusion
The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of ABC (A-ABC) in people with MS in Jordan.
The Arabic Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale showed very good psychometric properties and can be utilized with Arabic-speaking patients with multiple sclerosis.  
Methods
A multicenter, reliability design was used to collect data.
Data was collected in two times. In the first time, demographic information for each patient was collected along with the Arabic Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (A-ABC), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Barthel Index (BI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). One week later, patients completed the A-ABC again to examine the test-retest reliability.
The test-retest reliability of the A-ABC item and total scores were examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Additionally, the validity of the A-ABC with BBS, DGI, BI, and BDI was assessed using Spearman Correlation Coefficient (r).
References
1. Cameron, M.H. and S. Lord, Postural control in multiple sclerosis: implications
for fall prevention. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep, (5): p
2. Finlayson, M.L., E.W. Peterson, and C.C. Cho, Risk factors for falling among people aged 45 to 90 years with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, (9): p ; quiz 1287.
3. Cattaneo, D., et al., Risks of falls in subjects with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, (6): p
4. Alghwiri, A.A., et al., The activities-specific balance confidence scale and berg balance scale: Reliability and validity in Arabic-speaking vestibular patients. J Vestib Res, (5-6): p
“Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale in People with Multiple Sclerosis”