Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Activities- Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale for use in Maharashtra

Introduction: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC-M) Scale for use in Maharashtra, India and to assess its usability on elderly. The ABC Scale is a 16-item questionnaire. Each item is rated from 0% (no confidence) to 100% (complete confidence). Elderly respondents are asked to rate their confidence that they will lose their balance or become unsteady in the course of daily activities. Method: The methodological procedure of translation and cultural adaptation by WHO was followed: Forward translation, expert panel back-translation, pre-testing and cognitive interviewing, and final version Results: The process of translation and cultural adaptation was considered adequate. The procedure resulted in simple grammatical modifications for the items and 20 subjects were examined for the pre-test. Conclusions: The study resulted in successful translation and adaptation of the ABC scale in Marathi (ABC-M).