The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation into Turkish assessing its psychometric properties

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to linguistically and culturally adapt the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) for use in Turkey, and to examine the psychometric properties of this adapted version.

Method: The cross-cultural adaptation was achieved by translating the items from the original version, with back-translation performed by independent mother-tongue translators, followed by committee review. Reliability (internal consistency and test–retest) was examined for 198 participants who completed the NMQ twice (with a 1 week interval). Construct validity was examined with data from 126 participants from the same population, who completed further four questionnaires related to the body regions described in the NMQ.

Results: The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.896). The test–retest reliability was examined with the prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) and all items showed moderate to almost perfect reliability (PABAK = 0.57–0.90). Participants with a musculoskeletal problem in a related region had significantly more disability/pain, as assessed by the relevant questionnaires (p < 0.001), indicating that the NMQ had a good construct validity.

Conclusions: This study provided considerable evidence that the Turkish version of the NMQ has appropriate psychometric properties, including good test–retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. It can be used for screening and epidemiological investigations of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) can be used for the screening of musculoskeletal problems.

• The NMQ allows comparison of musculoskeletal problems in different body regions in epidemiological studies with large numbers of participants.

• The Turkish version of the NMQ can be used for rehabilitation due to its appropriate psychometric properties, including good test–retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity.

Keywords:

• reliability
• the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire
• Turkey
• validity
• work-related disorder

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Yücel Demiral, Prof, MD, from Department of Public Health, Dokuz Eylül University for statistical help and advice.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.