Translation, Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of Persian Version of Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ)

Objective: Foot disorders, especially pain and deformities, are common patients’ complaints. Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) was developed with the aim of assessing general and foot health specifically in chronic foot disorders. The purpose of the current study is cross cultural adaptation of FHSQ to Persian language and evaluating psychometric properties of the translated version. Methods: Based on International Quality of Life Assessment guideline, forward and backward translation of the questionnaire were done by two independent translators and final version was approved by a committee and confirmed by the developer. The psychometric properties of the Persian version of the FHSQ were tested in a sample of 101 participants (mean age: 42.98±15.03) with chronic foot disorders. Face validity via impact score calculation, criterion validity through correlation to Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) scores, internal consistency by using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability by calculating intra-class correlation were tested to describe the psychometric features of the Persian version. Results: Face validity was confirmed by impact scores higher than 1.5 for all items. The FHSQ was correlated significantly with MOXFQ domains, supporting the Criterion validity of the instrument, except for shoe domain of the Persian FHSQ which was not correlated with pain domain of the MOXFQ (r = 0.26). Cronbach’s alphas for pain, function, shoe and general foot health were 0.93, 0.92, 0.90, and 0.96 respectively, showing excellent internal consistency in all domains. Intra-class correlation coefficient ranged from 0.73 to 0.93 for all domains, pointed out good to excellent reliability. Discussion: The Persian version of FHSQ is a valid and reliable patient-satisfaction measurement instrument in evaluating foot conditions. Moreover, the results of the current study confirmed the possibility of applying it as an appropriate instrument in research and clinic in order to evaluate the effects of an intervention or estimate the prevalence of a disorder in Persian language population.