A Correlation of Wii Balance Board and Short Physical Performance Battery Test for Balance Assessment in Older Adults

Wii Balance Board (WBB) is a commercial game device to assess static balance. Previous studies showed the good psychometric properties of WBB for balance assessment and correlation with the clinical tests. But it was lack of evidence to support the correlation between WBB and Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB). The purpose of the study was to find the correlation between WBB and SPPB in community older adults. 30 participants participated in this study. They were tested balance performance by WBB with 2 conditions; standing with eyes open and standing with eyes closed. They were further tested their performance with SPPB. Sway velocity was recorded using WBB with MFU static balance test software version 2. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and spearman correlation coefficient were used to analyse the data. The result was found a correlation between standing with eyes closed on WBB and SPPB (r = -0.484, p<0.001). Thus, WBB using with MFU static balance test software version 2 was a valid tool when compare with SPPB. It can be used for balance assessment in clinic.