Cross-cultural adaptation of Delphi definitions of low back pain prevalence in French (Delphi DOLBaPP-F)

Abstract

Aim: The high heterogeneity in the definitions of low back pain encountered in the literature has led to the development of standardized definitions of this condition called “Delphi definitions of low back pain prevalence (Delphi DOLBaPP)” by a group of international researchers. In order to be widely used, these definitions need to be adapted according to the cultural and linguistic context. The aim of this work was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Delphi DOLBaPP definitions in Quebec French and to pre-test them among French-speaking adults. Methods: In order to enable practical use of the Delphi DOLBaPP definitions in different contexts, their presentation was adapted in the form of a questionnaire (referred to as the “Delphi DOLBaPP questionnaire”). The process of cross-cultural adaptation of the Delphi DOLBaPP questionnaire in French was conducted according to the most recognized recommendations for the cultural adaptation of measuring instruments. The resulting questionnaire and an evaluation form were then submitted to a sample of 82 adults. Results: A total of 41 participants (50.0%) reported low back pain. A high proportion of participants (89.0%) stated that it took them less than 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire. More than 62.0% of them did not find any question poorly worded or confusing. Nearly 80.0% of the participants found the questionnaire easy to understand. The cross-cultural adaptation process suggested minor modifications to the original Delphi DOLBaPP questionnaire. Conclusions: This study has produced a cross-cultural adaptation of the Delphi DOLBaPP questionnaire in Quebec French that will enable French-speaking populations to share the benefits of using standardized definitions of low back pain in epidemiological studies.

Keywords

• definition
• low back pain
• cross-cultural adaptation
• prevalence