Lessons learned: cultural and linguistic enhancement of surveys through community-based participatory research.

Abstract

Background: Surveys are frequently implemented in community-based participatory research (CBPR), but adaptation and translation of surveys can be logistically and methodologically challenging when working with immigrant and refugee populations. Objective: We sought to describe a process of participatory survey adaptation and translation. Methods: Within an established CBPR partnership, a survey about diabetes was adapted for health literacy and local relevance and then translated through a process of forward translation, group deliberation, and back translation. Lessons Learned: The group deliberation process was the most time-intensive and important component of the process. The process enhanced community ownership of the larger project while maximizing local applicability of the product. Conclusions: A participatory process of survey adaptation and translation resulted in significant revisions to approxi- mate semantic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence with the original surveys. This approach is likely to enhance com - munity acceptance of the survey instrument during the implementation phase.