Evaluating the Translatability Process of the Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire to Assess the Prevalence of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

ObjectivesReported gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as abdominal pain, and diarrhea are used as basis to diagnose functional GI disorders (FGIDs). Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ) is an internationally accepted self-report DQ that involves the selection of symptom criteria and frequency thresholds. However, the lack of Arabic (Saudi Arabia (SA)) language prevents its use locally. The current manuscript aims to report the evaluation of translating the English version of the Rome IV DQ FGIDs for Children age 4 + years to be used in assessing the prevalence of FGIDs among school children in Jeddah city, SA. MethodsThe translation process followed a preestablished Rome Foundation (RF) guidelines and was performed by experienced translators who were native speakers of the target language and resided in-country. First, a forward translation of the English version to Arabic was conducted by two translators. The two resulted questionnaires were harmonized to a single version, while considering literal translations and cultural adaptation. Then, the questionnaire was translated back to English. The translation process was monitored by an expert physician in the field. Finally, both the backward translation and the original English versions were evaluated for any potential linguistic and cultural issues. ResultsBoth the backward translation and the original versions of the questionnaire has the exact same words explaining the pain or discomfort. However, few minor linguistic and cultural concerns (i.e., necessary clarifications of medical terms) e.g., dyspepsia (feeling of burning). Interestingly, the original version repeated information about some pain areas that was not repeated in the backward English translation. ConclusionsOverall, the translatability of the ROME IV DQ FGIDs for Children age 4 + years tool into Arabic (SA) provided an adequate translation using very similar language and expressions to make it easy to the users with regards to the comparability of translation which should render the required results. Following RF approval, the tool will be validated on similar participants as the study population (preschool children). After that, a cross-sectional survey will be completed online by mothers of preschool children. Funding SourcesNone.