Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Nepali Version of the Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and assess the reliability and validity of the Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) in pregnant Nepalese women.

Methods: The cross-cultural adaptation process was conducted according to the Guillemin guidelines. Reliability and validity were assessed using cross-sectional design. The participants responded to questionnaires of sociodemographics, the Nepali version of the PGQ, the Oswestry Disability Index, the Patient-Specific Functional Scale, the 5-item version of the Edinburgh Depression Scale, and the Numerical Pain Rating Scale. The internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. The test-retest reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient and smallest detectable change. Construct validity was assessed by testing 9 a priori hypotheses that examine correlations between the PGQ activity and symptom subscales, and also among the PGQ subscales and Oswestry Disability Index, Numerical Pain Rating Scale, Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and 5-item version of the Edinburgh Depression Scale. Spearman and Pearson's correlation were used to assess the correlations.

Results: A sample of 111 pregnant women were included in the study. The Cronbach's alpha for the Nepali version of the total PGQ was good (α = 0.83), and the test-retest reliability was acceptable (ICC, 0.72) with a measurement error of SDC 18.6 points. Seven of the 9 hypotheses found support, which confirms acceptable construct validity of the Nepali PGQ.

Conclusion: The Nepali version of the PGQ is a reliable and valid tool for assessing pelvic girdle pain in pregnant Nepalese women.