Evaluation of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale in a cardiac rehabilitation population

Abstract

Recent research indicates the need for a functional balance assessment in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs. One assessment technique that may be appropriate is the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CBMS). The purpose of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the CBMS when testing patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thirty-one participants from community CR programs were recruited to perform the CBMS and measures of computerized dynamic posturography. Convergent validities between the measures were investigated using correlation coefficients, and floor and ceiling effects of the CBMS were analysed. The results indicated that the CBMS was moderately correlated with all computerized posturography variables, with no floor or ceiling effects present. Analysis of posturography results indicated that CR patients have decreased movement characteristics in the anterior and posterior directions. These findings indicate that the CBMS is a suitable tool to assess and monitor balance in a CR population.