Cross-cultural adaptation of The Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire: A methodological systematic review.

Background: The Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) is a reliable and sensitive measure of disability to determine functional status and evaluate curative effects in low back pain, it has now been cross-cultural translated into many other languages and adapted for use in different countries. We aim to evaluate the translation procedures and measurement properties of cross-cultural adaptations of the JOABPEQ.

Methods: Studies related to cross-cultural adaptation of the JOABPEQ in a specific language/culture were searched in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, SciELO, PsycINFO, SinoMed, and Web of Science from their inception to March 2022. The Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Report Measures and the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments guideline were used for evaluation.

Results: Nine different versions of cross-cultural JOABPEQ adaptations in 8 different languages/cultures were included. The adaptation process was not strictly performed, such as standard forward translation and expert committee review were rarely reported. Content validity (8/9), floor and ceiling effects (3/9), reliability (4/9), and interpretability (6/9) were assessed in most of the adaptations, while agreement (2/9), responsiveness (2/9), and the internal consistency (2/9) were not. JOABPEQ can replace functional and quality of life score to reduce the burden of scientific research.

Conclusion: We recommend Persian-Iranian, simplified Chinese-Chinese Mandarin, Thai and Gunaydin G's Turkish adaptations for application. The numerical pain rating scale/visual analogue scale in low back pain and lower extremities, as well as numbness in lower extremities could not be neglected in JOABPEQ adaptations.