Internal Consistency of Persian Version of Falls Efficacy Scale and Activity-Specific Balance Scale

Background: Falls is worldwide health problem among older adults. Different scales have been introduced related to falls, including Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) and Activity-Specific Balance Scale (ABCS). Persian version of these scales needs to be assessed for internal consistency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency of Persian version of FES and ABCS. Methods: In this pilot descriptive cross-sectional study, subjects (n=20) were selected by convenient sampling from elderly community dwellers. Prior to assessing the internal consistency, the original scales were first translated and culturally adapted from English into Persian according to a standardized procedure. Moreover the Cronbach’s alpha of the scales was calculated by SPSS software version 21. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha of the FES and ABCS were calculated as 0.895 and 0.894, respectively. The inter-item correlation matrix of FES with 10 item and ABCS with 16 items, were positive and acceptable in both scales. Moreover, Cronbach’s alpha if item deleted for all items in ABCS were lower than 0.894 and in FES were below 0.895. It suggests that if each item deleted in both scales, the consistency of the test would decline. Therefor all items were necessary for the scales. Conclusions: The unity of the scales and internal consistency of the 16-item ABCS and 10-item of FES were good and comparable to what has been reported for previous versions of the scales in other cultures. FES and ABCS are two scales which can be used in Persian language for further studies on falls among older adults.