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 In-struments 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.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Japanese Orthopaedic Association.