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Validation of a modified Thai version of the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index for knee osteoarthritis

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the Thai version of the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) index in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. After permission from the copyright holder of the WOMAC index was obtained, the questionnaire was translated into Thai, backtranslated, tested for face and content validities, and then modified. A convergent validity was evaluated in 114 patients with knee OA by comparing the scores of a modified Thai WOMAC index to those of the algofunctional Lequesne index. A test–retest reliability was evaluated in 89 patients who answered the modified Thai WOMAC index twice at 3-week intervals. The statistical analyses for the content validity were index of content validity (ICV), floor and ceiling effects, and skewness of distribution; for the convergent validity was Spearman’s correlation; for the test–retest reliability were Spearman’s correlation and intraclass correlation; and for the internal consistency was Chronbach’s α. The Thai WOMAC index had face validity. The ICV of the content validity ranged from 0.25–1.00. Two items (F05 and F12 of the original 24-item WOMAC index) that had an ICV of 0 were removed from the modified Thai version. The modified 22-item Thai WOMAC index had convergent validity to the algofunctional Lequesne index in pain and function dimensions (Spearman’s correlation coefficients were 0.66 and 0.69, respectively). The test–retest reliability had correlation coefficients ranging from 0.65 to 0.71. The internal consistency had an α ranging from 0.85 to 0.97. In conclusion, the modified Thai WOMAC index had acceptable psychometric properties for Thai patients with knee OA.

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Acknowledgements

Use of the WOMAC™ index was licensed from Professor Nicholas Bellamy who is the copyright holder for both the original WOMAC™ and the present modified Thai WOMAC™ 3.1 index. The authors would like to thank Professor Nicholas Bellamy for giving permission to translate the WOMAC index into a Thai version. We also thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sucheera Phattharayuttawat for reviewing the manuscript and Mr. Suthiphol Udompunturuk for statistical analyses. The present study was financially supported by a Siriraj grant for Research and Development. Both of the authors are full-time staff members of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University and declare no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Prannok Road, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand

    Vilai Kuptniratsaikul

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Manee Rattanachaiyanont

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  1. Vilai Kuptniratsaikul
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  2. Manee Rattanachaiyanont
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Correspondence to Vilai Kuptniratsaikul.

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Kuptniratsaikul, V., Rattanachaiyanont, M. Validation of a modified Thai version of the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index for knee osteoarthritis. Clin Rheumatol 26, 1641–1645 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-007-0560-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-007-0560-y

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