Psychometric Properties of One Foot Balance Test among Healthy College Going Students

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静态平衡依赖于完整的感觉系统，对于预防跌倒至关重要，尤其针对存在神经系统或肌肉骨骼系统疾病的人群。单脚平衡测试（One-Foot Balance Test, OFBT）是常用的静态平衡评估工具之一。既往研究已凸显出单脚平衡测试这类可靠评估手段在识别平衡障碍方面的重要价值，但现有文献中，针对19-24岁在校大学生群体的单脚平衡测试常模参考值与评定者内信度相关研究仍较为匮乏。 本研究旨在确立在校大学生单脚平衡测试的常模参考值，并评估其评定者内信度。本研究共招募135名在校大学生作为研究对象，采用单脚平衡测试评估受试者的静态平衡能力：受试者需分别在睁眼、闭眼状态下单脚站立，记录其可维持平衡的最长时长。受试者需先以右脚单脚站立，再更换为左脚单脚站立；睁眼与闭眼状态下，每侧足部均完成3次测试记录。于2天后在相同环境条件下再次测试，每种状态下仅完成1次记录，以评估评定者内信度。 本研究样本中男性占比49.63%，女性占比50.37%。单脚平衡测试的常模参考值以几何均数、均值±标准差的形式呈现：单脚平衡测试睁眼右脚组（OFBT(EOR)）的常模参考值为14.49（17.85±10.34）秒；单脚平衡测试闭眼右脚组（OFBT(ECR)）为5.34（5.86±3.05）秒；单脚平衡测试睁眼左脚组（OFBT(EOL)）为11.91（14.68±9.26）秒；单脚平衡测试闭眼左脚组（OFBT(ECL)）为4.95（5.25±1.88）秒。 研究结果显示，部分测试组具备良好的信度，具体为OFBT(EOR)与OFBT(ECR)组，其相关系数分别为0.06与0.07；而OFBT(EOL)与OFBT(ECL)组的信度较差，相关系数分别为0.02与0.38。本研究确立了19-24岁年龄群体的单脚平衡测试常模参考值，同时评估了在校大学生群体中单脚平衡测试的评定者内信度。研究结果表明，尽管单脚平衡测试在部分场景下具备可靠的评估能力，但仍需开展进一步研究与方法优化，以提升全测试流程的一致性。 关键词：在校大学生、常模参考值、评定者内信度