Establishing Normative Values for the Barnett Balance Assessment Tool: A Preliminary Study

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Monica L. Cercone, MSOTS; Katherine M. Grulke-Kidd, MSOTS; Alora S. Haskin, MSOTS; Kyle M. Medearis, MSOTS; Clarissa J. Wegner, MSOTS; Ellen Herlache-Pretzer, Ed.D, MA, OTRL

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for the Barnett Balance Assessment (BBA) for individuals ages 18-70+ years. The BBA is a newly developed assessment tool that may address limitations present in other assessments currently used to detect balance deficits. The BBA was administered to 141 participants who had no history of medical issues that could impact balance. A review of the normative data collected indicated little variation in total assessment scores in the age categories of 18-29, 30-39, and 40-49, due to the presence of a ceiling effect. Variations existed in scores among participants in the remaining age categories (50-59, 60-69, and 70+). These findings may imply that the BBA has its greatest discriminative power in assessing individuals with impaired balance, and/or that the BBA is not sensitive enough to detect differences in individuals with mild balance impairments. The researchers suggest future studies be conducted with the BBA to establish norms with populations with known orthopedic or neurological conditions that may impair balance. Results of these studies could then be compared with the baseline data gathered in this study to determine the BBA’s usefulness in detecting balance impairments with clinical populations.

Recommended Citation

Cercone, M. L., Grulke-Kidd, K. M., Haskin, A. S., Medearis, K. M., Wegner, C. J., & Herlache-Pretzer, E. (2014). Establishing Normative Values for the Barnett Balance Assessment Tool: A Preliminary Study. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1081