The Norwegian Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11-N) - development and pilot study

The concept occupational balance has been linked with health and well-being, and it is therefore viewed as an important concept for occupational therapy practice, theory and research. To operationalize and measure occupational balance, the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) was developed in Sweden. To date, no Norwegian translations of the OBQ exists.

To describe the process of developing a Norwegian version of the 11-items Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11-N) and to evaluate its feasibility and face validity.

The development process followed a predetermined series of steps, including forward and back translation and cognitive interviews with a pilot sample.

The pilot study sample (n = 8) varied with respect to age, gender and education level. There was high level of agreement between the participants with regard to their understanding of the content of the items. Three of the items were slightly modified in terms of words and phrasing.

The OBQ11-N was developed according to established translation guidelines and appears to be feasible and have good face validity.

The OBQ11-N may prove useful for assessing occupational balance and associated factors in Norwegian population groups. However, more research is needed to establish the Norwegian version of the questionnaire as psychometrically valid.