Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity and Reliability Test of the Arabic Version of the Maine-Seattle Back Questionnaire

September 3, 2026 updated by: Omar Mouness Elbastawesy, Cairo University

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Arabic Version of the Maine-Seattle Back Questionnaire

The purpose of this study is to translate and test face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability of adapted Arabic-language version of MSBQ in patients with low back pain and sciatica.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The Maine-Seattle Back Questionnaire (MSBQ) is a condition-specific instrument developed to assess functional disability in patients with low back pain (LBP) and sciatica. It was derived from a modified version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and has demonstrated good reliability, validity, and responsiveness in its original development study .The MSBQ is concise and easy to administer, making it suitable for both clinical and research settings.

Despite the high prevalence of low back pain in Arabic-speaking populations, validated Arabic versions of some LBP-specific questionnaires, including the MSBQ, remain limited. Cultural, linguistic, and contextual factors may influence patient responses, highlighting the need for culturally adapted and psychometrically sound instruments. Developing an Arabic version of the MSBQ would facilitate accurate assessment of disability and enable meaningful comparisons in clinical practice and research.

The MSBQ was developed as a 12-item shortened version of the modified RMDQ to reduce respondent burden. It was constructed using qualitative methods and cluster analysis techniques to identify representative and non-redundant items. Its brevity enhances feasibility for self-administration in both home and clinical environments, making it particularly suitable for prospective outcome assessment in routine healthcare settings.

The present study is significant as it aims to address this gap through the development and validation of an Arabic version of the MSBQ. Providing a culturally adapted and psychometrically sound instrument will enhance clinical decision-making, standardize outcome measurement, and support patient-centered care among individuals with low back pain and sciatica in Arabic-speaking populations.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants diagnosed with low back pain and sciatica will participate in the study that aimed to translate and test (face, content, and construct) validity, (internal consistency and test-retest) reliability of the MSBQ questionnaire into the Arabic language.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 - 45 years representing the target population with sciatica.
  • Diagnosed with low back or leg pain, with symptoms present for less than 6 months.
  • Ability to read and write in Arabic - for accurate comprehension and completion of the questionnaire.
  • Patients will be referred by the physician.
  • Provide informed consent - indicating willingness to participate in the study voluntarily.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior lumbar spinal surgery.
  • Presence of serious spinal pathology (fracture, tumor, infection, cauda equina syndrome, inflammatory spinal diseases).
  • Neurological disorders affecting mobility or cognition. Pregnancy.
  • Severe cognitive impairment or psychiatric disorders that may interfere with questionnaire completion

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Low back pain and sciatica group
Participants diagnosed with low back or leg pain will participate in the study that aimed to translate and test (face, content, and construct) validity, (internal consistency and test-retest) reliability of the MSBQ questionnaire into the Arabic language.
Other: No intervention
No intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Content validity
Time Frame: 7 days
It is the extent to which questions on the instrument and the scores from these questions represent all possible questions that could be asked about the content or skill. It will be measured by item content validity index and scale content validity indices.
7 days
Face validity
Time Frame: 7 days
The ability of an instrument to be understandable and relevant for the targeted population. It is the weakest way to establish the validity of the questionnaire. It motivates the respondents to answer more truthfully. It will be assessed by a panel of bilingual experts (clinicians, linguists, and researchers) who will reviewed the translated items for clarity, relevance, and cultural appropriateness.
7 days
Construct validity
Time Frame: 7 days
It refers to validating your constructs based on their pattern of correlations with other variables assumed to be indicators of or theoretically related to the construct of interest. It will be assessed by factor analysis, convergent and divergent validity.
7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Internal consistency
Time Frame: 7 days
It indicates how well the items on a tool fit together conceptually. It will be assessed using Cronbach a and the value will be considered excellent above 0.80.
7 days
Test-retest reliability
Time Frame: 7 days
It is estimated by administering the same test to the same group of respondents at different times. The correlation between the two scores, and often between individual questions, indicates the stability of the instrument. It will be evaluated by the two way mixed intra class correlation coefficient with 95% confidence intervals, values of equal or more than 0.8 were considered as a high level of correlation.
7 days
Feasibility of the Arabic Version of the Maine-Seattle Back Questionnaire (MSBQ)
Time Frame: 7 days
The medical committee agreed to judge feasibility using two factors ( time and missing items) regarding translated instruments. It will be evaluated by the assessment of the frequency of missing answers per item and the time needed to fill it out.
7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Haytham M Elhafez, Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • P.T.REC/012/006554

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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