Turkish Translation of the Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain in Patients with Chronic Low Back and Neck Pain: Validity and Reliability.

Objective: To translate the Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain (POAM-P) into Turkish and test its validity and reliability.

Methods: A total of 252 patients with chronic low back and neck pain were included. The Turkish translation of the POAM-P (POAMP/T), which has subgroups of Avoidance, Overdoing, and Pacing, was performed in accordance with international recommendations. The POAMP/T was administered twice. Physical activity level was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-7 (IPAQ-7), and psychologic status was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety (HADS-A) and Depression Scales (HADS-D). The internal and external construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were analyzed.

Results: Three related factorial structures were defined in Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Indexes and factor loads were found to be sufficient. A negative relationship was observed between avoidance and IPAQ-7 (rho = -0.328, p < .001), HADS-D (ρ = -0.163, p = .009), and HADS-A scores (ρ = -0.164, p = .009); whereas, a positive relationship was observed between overdoing and IPAQ-7 (ρ = 0.362, p < .001), HADS-D (ρ = 0.309, p < .001), and HADS-A scores (ρ = 0.325, p < .001). A negative correlation was found between pacing and IPAQ-7 (ρ = -0.200, p = .001), HADS-D (ρ = -0.507, p < .001), and HADS-A scores (ρ = -0.509, p < .001). The Cronbach alpha values for avoidance, overdoing, and pacing were obtained as 0.941, 0.917, and 0.940, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient for avoidance, overdoing, and pacing was found as 0.972, 0.973, and 0.972, respectively. Test and retest scores were similar (p > .05).

Conclusions: The Turkish version of the POAM-P is a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of pain-related activity patterns in patients with chronic low back or neck pain.