Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire in patients with skeletal muscle injury of the upper or lower extremities

Abstract

BackgroundThe Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire is one of the most commonly used scales to evaluate functional status and quality of life (QOL) of patients with a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders. However, a Chinese version of the SMFA questionnaire for the psychometric properties of skeletal muscle injury patients in China is still lacking. The current study translated the SMFA into Chinese and assessed its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with skeletal muscle injury of the upper or lower extremities.MethodsThe original SMFA was translated from English into Chinese and culturally adapted according to cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted, comprising 339 skeletal muscle injury patients (aged 20–75 years) from 4 hospitals. The SMFA, the health survey short form (SF-36) along with a region-specific questionnaire (including the disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand questionnaire (DASH), the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS), the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS), and the foot function index (FFI)) were completed according to the region of injury. Reliability was estimated from the internal consistency using Cronbach’s α and validity was assessed via convergent validity, known-groups comparison, and construct validity.ResultsCronbach’s α coefficient was over 0.75 for two subscales and four categories of the SMFA, suggesting that the internal consistency reliability of the SMFA was satisfactory. Known-groups comparison showed that the dysfunction index and the bother index of the SMFA discriminated well between patients who differed in age, gender, injury location, and operation status rather than in subgroups based on the body mass index (BMI). The convergent validity of the SMFA was good, as moderate to excellent correlations were found between the subscales of the SMFA and the four subscales of SF-36 (physical function, role-physical, bodily pain, and social functioning) and the region-specific questionnaires. The construct validity was proved by the presence of a six-factor structure that accounted for 66.85 % of the variance.ConclusionThe Chinese version of the SMFA questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to measure patient-reported impact of musculoskeletal injuries in the upper or lower extremities.

The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between physical health and suicidal thoughts among Chinese rural elderly: A nursing home sample

“…The PCS comprehensively assesses participants' physical health with 21 questions (Gandek & Ware 1998). In addition, the Chinese version of the SF-36 has been demonstrated to have good reliability, validity, and applicability (Wang et al 2015). Scores of the PCS were converted into a centesimalsystem-scale according to the SF-36 user manual, with higher scores indicating better performance.…”

Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire for patients with musculoskeletal disorder

“…This was because the SF-36 mainly includes items related to the dysfunction of the lower extremity8 ) . It was also reported in the Chinese16 ) and Dutch versions8 ) that the SMFA showed signification correlations not only with the SF-36 but also with other region-specific questionnaires such as the disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire, Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome score, and the Foot Function Index .…”

“…In the Dutch version, a relatively high ceiling effect appeared, and this was due to the fact that the subjects were chronic patients for at least 6 months and all physical activity was limited; furthermore, most of the patients had injuries of the upper extremity resulting in less of an effect on physical activity limitations8 ) . In the Chinese version, most of the subjects were patients with upper extremity injuries, and this created a ceiling effect in the arm and hand categories16 ) . In the current study, most of the subjects were patients with a lower extremity injury for at least 6 months, and like the Chinese version, there was a slight ceiling effect in the category for the arm and hand.…”

“…In the Swedish11 ) and Chinese versions16 ) , the topics related to driving and sex life were often left unanswered, and such results were assumed to be because the two countries have fewer drivers compared with America. There were unanswered sections regarding driving in the current study as well, but the topics were not deleted from the questionnaires.…”

“…Translations of existing English-language questionnaires must be validated to deliver the same meaning as well as to ensure comparability of data12 ) . The SMFA has already been translated and adapted into different languages, including Dutch8 ) , Swedish11 ) , Brazilian Portuguese13 ) , German14 ) , Spanish15 ) , and Chinese16 ) , with validated reliability.…”