The activities-specific balance confidence scale and berg balance scale: Reliability and validity in Arabic-speaking vestibular patients

Persons with vestibular disorders are susceptible to imbalance. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) have been validated in persons with vestibular disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Arabic versions of ABC and BBS among Arabic-speaking persons with vestibular disorders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the A-ABC and A-BBS were administered to a convenience sample of 82 persons with vestibular disorders (age = 43 +/- 14), (56% female). The test-retest reliability of the A-ABC item and total score as well as the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the A-BBS total score reflected high agreement. Significant and large correlations were found between the A-ABC and the A-BBS (r = 0.54, P < 0.05), the A-ABC and the Arabic Dizziness Handicap Inventory (ADHI) (r = -0.76, P < 0.05), and the A-BBS and the A-DHI (r = -0.56, P < 0.05). The A-ABC and the A-BBS demonstrated good reliability and validity and can be utilized with Arabic-speaking persons with vestibular disorders.