The ABC Scale and Fall Risk: A Systematic Review

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the ability of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale to predict the fall risk in older community-living adults. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted from February 1, 2010, to October 8, 2010, through Pubmed, CINAHL and MEDLINE. Appraisal of full-text English articles, which were published from January 1996 to October 2010, provided the framework for this analysis. Results: On the basis of our inclusion/exclusion criteria, three studies qualified for inclusion in this review. Two of the three selected studies indicated a significant association between ABC scores and falls. The third study concluded that the ABC scale was unable to distinguish fallers from nonfallers. Conclusion: Despite the abundance of studies, which include the ABC scale, there is insufficient research that specifically examines the relationship between balance confidence scores with actual falls in community-dwelling older adults. In this population of adults, who live in the community and are aged at least 60 years, there is limited support for the hypothesis that the ABC scale can predict the fall risk.