Background: Occupational skin diseases (OSDs) represent 10-40% of all occupational diseases in many industrialized countries. Young workers are frequently exposed to toxic substances and chemicals in the workplace. The occupational conditions of young workers can impose a high level of risk for the occurrence of OSDs. The Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002) was developed in English as a new, comprehensive, standardized tool with which to screen for OSDs.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to translate the NOSQ-2002 into Turkish and to culturally adapt the long version of the instrument for use with young workers in jobs with high risk for the occurrence of OSDs.
Methods: Forward and back translations were carried out. Problematic items were modified until the Turkish-language version achieved a satisfactory consensus with the original version of the NOSQ-2002. The final Turkish version was tested in 40 randomly selected young workers with and without OSDs who were studying in the fields of hairdressing, jewelry making, and car mechanics at vocational training schools run by the National Education Ministry.
Results: When the original questionnaire had been translated into the target language, a first consensus version was evaluated by an expert panel. The expert panel determined that 36 questions (63.2%) in the Turkish version required some level of modification in order to facilitate clear understanding. Cognitive interviews were then performed. After some modification, the final Turkish version was established and tested among young workers.
Conclusions: The new Turkish version of the NOSQ is a comprehensible, reliable, and useful tool that can be applied to young workers in specific occupations.
© 2015 The International Society of Dermatology.