Background and purpose: Translating questionnaires into local languages is essential as it aids easy accessibility and understanding of such questionnaires by patients and their healthcare professionals. The STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST), validated tool used to classify subgroups of persons with Low-Back Pain (LBP) has few translated versions (Al-Zoubi et al, 2017). Yoruba is one of the major languages in Nigeria and spoken by over 39 million people all over the world. To date, the SBST has not been translated to Yoruba language. This study aimed to translate the SBST into the Yoruba language and also establish its psychometric properties among patients with long-term non-specific LBP.

Relevance: Translating the SBST in to the Yoruba language will provide a culture-friendly version of the instrument which can be used by the Yoruba speaking patient with LBP.

Methods: The original developer of the SBST gave permission to translate the original tool to the Yoruba SBST (Y-SBST). Following the protocol by Beaton and colleagues, the SBST was successfully cross-cultural adapted into the Yoruba language. One hundred consenting patients (57.0±11.43years, 55% females) with long-term non-specific LBP and fluent in Yoruba language took part in the validation phase of the study while 53 of these participants took part in the test-retest phase. Psychometric indices of the Y-SBST assessed included internal consistency, test-retest reliability, ceiling and floor effects and divergent validity. Alpha level was set as 0.05.

Analysis: Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and percentages. Cronbach’s and intra-class correlation was used to determine the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Y-SBST. Data was analyzed using SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version16.0 Alpha level was set as 0.05.

Results: The sub - and-global Cronbach’s α score for Y-SBST was 0.899 and 0.943. The test-retest reliability of the sub- and total scores of the Y-SBST yielded an intra-class correlation of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74 - 0.87) and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.84 - 0.93). The divergent validity for sub-and-global scores of the Y-SBST based on QVAS score for on-going pain was r = 0.374 (p = 0.001) and r = 0.432 (p = 0.001), respectively. The Y-SBST had no ceiling or floor effects.

Conclusion: The SBST-Y, owing to its acceptable psychometric properties is suggested for use among Yoruba speaking patients with LBP.

Implication: The SBST was successfully translated in to the Yoruba language. Further, the translation demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties.

Funding Source: No funding was received for this study.

Ethics approval: The Health Research and Ethics Committee of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria granted ethical approval for the study.

Keywords: STarTBack Screening Tool, Low Back Pain, Yoruba Language

Reference

Al Zoubi FM, Eilayyan O, Mayo NE, & Bussières AE. 2017. Evaluation of Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Measurement Properties of STarT Back Screening Tool: A Systematic Review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther, 40:558-572