Test-retest reliability of the Screening Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) scale in North-West Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION The present study examines the inter-tester and intra-tester reliability of the recently developed scale for Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) in North-West Nigeria. The scale was developed through collaborative research in five countries around the world. METHODOLOGY One hundred and three people affected by leprosy from three states in North-West Nigeria participated in the study. A Hausa translation of the 20-item SALSA questionnaire was used by four trained health staff to interview the participants. Seventy-five paired interviews were conducted where the second interview was administered by a different interviewer from the first at intervals of 4-76 days (median 52). Twenty-eight paired interviews were conducted, both by the same interviewer, at intervals of 52-71 days (median 63). RESULTS Inter-tester reliability: All 20 items had Kappa's ranging from 0.45-0.8; 15 items had Kappa's > 0.6; 8 items had Kappa's > 0.7. Intra-tester reliability: All 20 items had Kappa's ranging from 0.51-1; 15 items had Kappa's > 0.6; 12 items had Kappa's > 0.7. For inter-tester reliability, the first interview had a mean SALSA score of 36.5 (95% CI = 34.96-38.05). The second interview had a mean of 35.02 (95% CI = 35.01-37.99). For intra-tester reliability, the mean SALSA scores of first and second interviews were 27.36 (95% CI = 24.36-30.36) and 26.68 (95% CI = 23.93-29.43), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The Hausa translation of SALSA has an acceptable reliability in Nigeria provided the interviewers are well trained.