Cross-cultural adaptation and reliability of the European Portuguese version of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire: A methodological study

PLoS One. 2024 Aug 8;19(8):e0308623. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308623. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Purpose: To culturally adapt the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) to European Portuguese and evaluate its reliability in individuals with musculoskeletal conditions.

Materials and methods: The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the MSK-HQ was translated and culturally adapted. In the second phase, a longitudinal observational study was carried out with a convenience sample of participants with musculoskeletal conditions. Data collection began at the start of physiotherapy treatments by filling in the MSK-HQ and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). After 4-7 days, the participants were asked to fill out the MSK-HQ once again, as well as the Patient Global Improvement Change (PGIC) scale. The data collected was used to study internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement error. Floor and ceiling effects were also analysed.

Results: The MSK-HQ was successfully translated and adapted into European Portuguese. The second phase of the study had a sample of 191 participants. This study demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.885) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC(2,1) = 0.908). The analysis of measurement error resulted in an SEM of 2.818 and an SDC at 7.811. No floor or ceiling effect was observed.

Conclusions: The MSK-HQ-PT is a reliable instrument for measuring musculoskeletal health. Further studies on its validity and responsiveness are needed.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases* / therapy
  • Portugal
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/SAU-SER/7406/2020). AC is supported by the Portuguese national funding through the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. as part of the project UIDB/LIN/03213/2020 – Linguistics Research Centre of NOVA University Lisbon (CLUNL). There was no additional external funding received for this study.