Biomedical subjects

Ching-Yi Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Ching-Yi Wang.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Psychometric properties of the Berg Balance Scale in a community-dwelling elderly resident population in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To investigate the psychometric properties (acceptability, internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability, construct validity) and identify the most challenging items of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for elderly people living in the community. METHODS: A total of 268 community-dwelling adults 65 years of age or older volunteered to participate in this study. Each subject's performance was assessed with the BBS, timed up and go (TUG) test, and usual gait speed. For testing interrater reliability, the other 68 community-dwelling older adults who met the criteria were also recruited. RESULTS: The BBS demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77), good interrater reliability (ICC(2,1) = 0.87), and moderate correlation with the TUG and usual gait speed (Spearman's rho = -0.53 and 0.46, respectively). The BBS score of the mobility/IADL (instrumented activities of daily living) able group was also significantly higher than that of the disabled group. Among all items on the BBS, tandem stance (item 13) and one-legged stance (item 14) were found to be the most challenging items for the subjects in the sample. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability, and construct validity of the BBS are adequate for measuring balance in community-dwelling older adults. Among all items in the BBS, the tandem stance and one-legged stance are the most challenging items. Further study of their applicability for screening use in the community is warranted.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Physical-performance tests to evaluate mobility disability in community-dwelling elders.

The purposes of this study were to evaluate community-dwelling elderly adults with different levels of perceived mobility with 5 physical-performance tests, determine the cutoff values of the 5 tests, and identify the best tests for classifying mobility status. The community-mobility statuses of 203 community-dwelling elders were classified as able, decreased, or disabled based on their self-reported ability to walk several blocks and climb stairs. They also performed the functional reach, timed 50-ft walk, timed 5-step, timed floor transfer, and 5-min-walk endurance tests. We found in all tests that the "able" outperformed the "decreased" and that the "decreased" outperformed the "disabled," except on the floor-transfer task. The optimum cutoff values of the 5 performance tests were also reported. The 5-min walk and timed 5-step test could best separate the "able" from the "decreased," whereas the 50-ft-walk-test could best differentiate the "decreased" from the "disabled." The results suggest that community-mobility function of older adults can be captured by performance tests and that the cutoff values of the 5-min-walk, 5-step, and 50-ft-walk tests can be used in guiding intervention or prevention programs.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Test-retest strength reliability: hand-held dynamometry in community-dwelling elderly fallers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability of a standardized protocol by using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) to measure lower-extremity strength in community-dwelling elderly fallers. DESIGN: Within-session test-retest reliability of the HHD. SETTING: Balance laboratory of a university. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 41 community-dwelling elders (61-90y) who fell at least once in the previous year. INTERVENTION: The strengths of 8 lower-extremity muscle groups bilaterally were tested twice, with an intervening rest period of 15 seconds. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Maximal isometric force. RESULTS: Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were high, generally ranging from.95 to.99 for 1 trial (ICC(2,1)) and from.97 to 1.00 for the mean of 2 trials (ICC(2,2)). There were no significant differences in strength values across trials (P>.05). Men had significantly greater strength than women across all muscle groups (P>.05). Right knee extensor strength demonstrated the largest trial-to-trial difference,.54 kg using a single measurement and.39 kg using the mean of both measurements. Among the 3 lower-extremity muscle groups, the ankle showed higher a coefficient of variation (CV=5.1%-7.4%) than the knee (CV=4.6%-5.1%) or the hip (CV=4.2%-6.3%) when using 1 measure. CONCLUSION: By using an HHD and a standardized measurement protocol, a novice tester can obtain reliable lower-extremity strength values in community-dwelling elderly fallers.

Accidental Falls↗