Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Physical Activity and Disability Survey - Revised in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Background Assessing physical activity (PA) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is essential to follow up on the recommended physical activity level needed for this population. However, choosing the tool to assess PA might not be easy, especially if the researcher or the physiotherapist did not have the facilities to offer objective measures of PA. The Physical Activity and Disability Survey - Revised (PADS-R) have been widely used in PwMS and other population and showed accepted validity to assess PA levels. The PADS-R was originally developed in the English language and has been translated into different languages. To our knowledge, the PADS-R has not yet been translated into the Arabic language. The current study aimed to translate the PADS-R into the standard Arabic language through the process of cross-cultural adaptation, and explore the psychometric properties of the produced Arabic version (A-PADS-R) among a sample of Arabic-speaking PwMS. Material(s) and Method(s) The study was carried out in two phases: firstly, the English version of the PADS-R was translated into Arabic (A-PADS-R) and secondly, a detailed analysis of the psychometric properties and the structure of the translated version was conducted using convergent validity was assessed by comparison with measures of disease severity, another measure of PA and some of the demographic variables. Test-retest reliability was also assessed. Seventy individuals with MS participated in this study. Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) were used to assess the disease severity. Physical activity level was assessed using the Physical Activity Disability Survey – Revised (PADS-R) and The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Age, gender, education, occupation, comorbidities, duration since diagnosis, weight, height, and medications were also collected. Result(s) High correlation (r= 0.67) was found between the A-PADS total score and the IPAQ. The total score of the A-PADS was also highly correlated (-0.63) with the disease severity as measured by PDDS. Moderate correlations were found between A-PADS total score and disease duration and number of comorbidities. Furthermore, the A-PADS subscale and total scores have good to high test-retest reliability. Conclusion(s) This study shows that the Arabic version of the PADS is a valid tool to assess physical activity in the people with MS. The A-PADS has the advantage that it can evaluate the physical activity levels of people with Multiple sclerosis. This scale can be good to be used by the clinicians and researchers in evaluating and managing the physical activities in Arabic PwMS. Assessing physical activity (PA) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is essential to follow up on the recommended physical activity level needed for this population. However, choosing the tool to assess PA might not be easy, especially if the researcher or the physiotherapist did not have the facilities to offer objective measures of PA. The Physical Activity and Disability Survey - Revised (PADS-R) have been widely used in PwMS and other population and showed accepted validity to assess PA levels. The PADS-R was originally developed in the English language and has been translated into different languages. To our knowledge, the PADS-R has not yet been translated into the Arabic language. The current study aimed to translate the PADS-R into the standard Arabic language through the process of cross-cultural adaptation, and explore the psychometric properties of the produced Arabic version (A-PADS-R) among a sample of Arabic-speaking PwMS. The study was carried out in two phases: firstly, the English version of the PADS-R was translated into Arabic (A-PADS-R) and secondly, a detailed analysis of the psychometric properties and the structure of the translated version was conducted using convergent validity was assessed by comparison with measures of disease severity, another measure of PA and some of the demographic variables. Test-retest reliability was also assessed. Seventy individuals with MS participated in this study. Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) were used to assess the disease severity. Physical activity level was assessed using the Physical Activity Disability Survey – Revised (PADS-R) and The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Age, gender, education, occupation, comorbidities, duration since diagnosis, weight, height, and medications were also collected. High correlation (r= 0.67) was found between the A-PADS total score and the IPAQ. The total score of the A-PADS was also highly correlated (-0.63) with the disease severity as measured by PDDS. Moderate correlations were found between A-PADS total score and disease duration and number of comorbidities. Furthermore, the A-PADS subscale and total scores have good to high test-retest reliability. This study shows that the Arabic version of the PADS is a valid tool to assess physical activity in the people with MS. The A-PADS has the advantage that it can evaluate the physical activity levels of people with Multiple sclerosis. This scale can be good to be used by the clinicians and researchers in evaluating and managing the physical activities in Arabic PwMS.