Cross-cultural validation of the Berg balance scale to assess balance among Hungarian institutionalised older adults.

Purpose: To translate the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to Hungarian and to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Hungarian version (HU-BBS).

Methods: In total, 150 institutionalised older adults were recruited for the study. Eighty-one participants completed the retesting. Internal consistency, intra- and inter-rater reliability, and 95% limits of agreement of the HU-BBS were examined. Construct validity was assessed through convergent, discriminant, and known-group validity.

Results: The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.943. The intra- and inter-rater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.92). The Bland-Altman analysis revealed a mean inter-rater difference of 0.284 [-2.193-2.744] and a mean intra-rater difference of 0.259 [-2.657-3.162]. Regarding convergent validity, the HU-BBS was correlated with the functional status ( = 0.833), Timed Up and Go test (r= -0.824), and age (r= -0.606). The HU-BBS scores of women were similar to those of men ( = 0.104), showing discriminant validity. Additionally, the HU-BBS scores were lower among faller than among non-faller participants ( ˂ 0.0001), establishing known-group validity.

Conclusions: Translation and cultural adaptation of the original scale was successful. The HU-BBS proved to be a reliable, valid tool confirming that it can be used in future clinical and scientific work on Hungarian older adults.Implications for rehabilitationInstitutionalised older adults are vulnerable and at a high risk of developing further decline in postural control, contributing to an increase in limited functional mobility and risk for falls.The Berg Balance Scale is a widely used tool originally developed to measure postural control in older adults.The Hungarian version of the Berg Balance Scale tested on institutionalised older adults shows excellent test-retest reliability, good internal consistency, and acceptable convergent construct validity.The Hungarian version of the Berg Balance Scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring postural control among Hungarian-speaking institutionalised older adults both in clinical practice and scientific studies.