Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Hausa Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire in Mixed Rural and Urban Nigerian Populations with Low Back Pain

Abstract

Study design: Cross-cultural adaptation and cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) into Hausa language, and evaluate its psychometric properties in mixed rural and urban populations with low back pain (LBP).

Summary of background data: The RMDQ is one of the most commonly used and recommended condition-specific measures of disability related to LBP. However, no formal adapted and validated Hausa version exists at the time our study was initiated.

Methods: The Hausa version of the RMDQ (Hausa-RMDQ) was developed according to established guidelines. Psychometric properties were evaluated in 125 patients with LBP recruited from rural and urban Nigerian clinics. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α), test-retest reliability using Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC), and limits of agreement using Bland-Altman plots were calculated to evaluate reliability. Using Spearman's correlation for a priori hypotheses, the Hausa-RMDQ was correlated with Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to evaluate concurrent validity, Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) to evaluate convergent validity, and age, educational level, and occupational status to evaluate divergent validity. Reliability and validity analyses were also conducted separately for rural and urban subgroups.

Results: The Hausa-RMDQ had no major translation problems. The questionnaire had adequate internal consistency (α = 0.70), test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.79), minimal SEM (1.30) and MDC (3.60), and good agreement between test-retest values. The Hausa-RMDQ had a strong correlation with ODI (rho = 0.59), a moderate correlation with NPRS (rho = 0.46), and a null correlation with age, educational level, and occupational status (P > 0.05), thus confirming all the (5:5) a priori hypotheses constructed. These reliability and validity results were also replicated in the rural and urban subgroups.

Conclusion: The Hausa-RMDQ was successfully developed and proved to be a reliable and valid measure of functional disability in Hausa culture. This questionnaire is recommended for future clinical and scientific research purposes.Level of Evidence: 3.