Psychometric Properties of One Foot Balance Test among Healthy College Going Students
Description
Static balance relies on intact sensory systems and is crucial for preventing falls, especially in populations with neurological or musculoskeletal issues. The one-foot balance test (OFBT) is one of the common assessment tools of static balance. Previous researches have highlighted the importance of reliable assessments like OFBT in identifying balance issues. But there is a dearth in literature regarding the normative values and intra-rater reliability of OFBT among college going students aged between 19-24 years. To establish the normative reference values and intra-rater reliability of the OFBT among college students. A sample of 135 college students were recruited to participate in the study. Their static balance was assessed using the OFBT, which typically involves standing on one foot for a time period to which they could balance with eyes open or closed. Participants were asked to stand on their right foot followed by the left leg. Three readings for each were taken with both eyes open and eyes closed. Intra-rater reliability was checked after two days with one reading each in same environmental conditions. This study recruited 49.63% males and 50.37% females. The normative reference values for OFBT was expressed in Geometric Mean, Mean± standard deviation. The normative reference values for OFBT(EOR) was 14.49 (17.85± 10.34) seconds, The normative reference values for OFBT(ECR) was 5.34 (5.86± 3.05) seconds, The normative reference values for OFBT(EOL) was 11.91 (14.68± 9.26) seconds and, The normative reference values for OFBT(ECL) was 4.95 (5.25± 1.88) seconds. The results indicate good reliability in certain cases, specifically OFBT(EOR) and OFBT(ECR), with correlation coefficients of 0.06 and 0.07 respectively. However, in other cases, such as OFBT(EOL) and OFBT(ECL), the reliability is poor, with correlation coefficients of 0.02 and 0.38 respectively. This study established the normative reference values for age group 19-24. This study also examined the intra-rater reliability of OFBT among college students. This suggested that while OFBT emerged as a reliable measure in some contexts, further investigation and refinement may be needed to improve its consistency across all aspects of the test. KEYWORDS: College Students, Normative Reference Values, Intra-rater Reliability