Back beliefs among elderly seeking health care due to back pain; psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the back beliefs questionnaire

Alexander Tingulstad,Margreth Grotle,Kjersti Storheim,Rikke Munk,Birgitta Langhammer,Ørjan Vigdal

doi:10.1186/s12891-019-2910-8

Alexander Tingulstad, Margreth Grotle + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2910-8

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Abstract

BackgroundThe Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) is a 14-item patient-reported questionnaire that measures attitudes and beliefs about the consequences of back pain. The BBQ has recently been translated into Norwegian, but its psychometric properties have not yet been tested. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the BBQ when used on elderly patients with back pain.MethodA prospective cohort study with a test-retest design among 116 elderly patients (> 55 years of age) seeking primary care for a new episode of back pain. Test-retest, standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC), internal consistency and construct validity by a priori hypotheses (Spearman’s- and Pearson correlation coefficient) were tested.ResultsA total of 116 patients, mean age (SD) 67.7 (8.3), were included and 63 patients responded to the test-retest assessment. The mean (SD) BBQ sum scores (range 9–45) were 29.8 (7.0) and 29.2 (6.7) for the test and retest respectively. The test-retest was acceptable with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.54–0.82), SEM was 3.8 and MDC 10.5. Internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha was good (0.82) and acceptable construct validity was supported by the confirmation of 75% of the a priori hypotheses.ConclusionThe Norwegian version of the BBQ demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability and good construct validity and can be used to assess pessimistic beliefs in elderly patients with back pain.

Highlights

Back pain is among the most common musculoskeletal complaints seen in primary care [1]
The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) in terms of test-retest reliability, construct validity and internal consistency when used on elderly patients with a new episode of back pain
The lowest (9) and highest (45) possible scores were each achieved by one participant, indicating no floor- or ceiling effects for the BBQ total score

Summary

Introduction

Back pain is among the most common musculoskeletal complaints seen in primary care [1]. Our population is aging globally, the elderly are often excluded from research on back pain and the influence of psychological factors [4]. Beliefs and attitudes towards back pain can be measured with questionnaires. The Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) was developed by Symonds et al, with the aim to make a new instrument to measure beliefs and attitudes related to back pain [5]. The authors developed a 14-item self-report questionnaire to investigate beliefs about the inevitable consequences of back pain [5]. The Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) is a 14-item patient-reported questionnaire that measures attitudes and beliefs about the consequences of back pain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the BBQ when used on elderly patients with back pain

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