Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Cross Cultural Adaptation and Validation of Hindi Version of Versus Arthritis Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire
Priyadarshi Prajjwal1, Raunak Ranjan1, Swati Chouhan2
1Intern, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Medical College, Pune, India.
Introduction:
Musculoskeletal (MSK) health relates to one's dexterity and locomotor capability. Any compromise in MSK function leads to loss of quality of life and productivity. MSK health has a significant impact on sleep and psychological wellness. Composite instruments are required to assess MSK Health and its overall impact on quality of life. Versus arthritis, the musculoskeletal health questionnaire (MSK-HQ) is one such composite score which was originally designed and validated in English. It is being widely used and translated into many Asian and European languages. There is a scarcity of such a tool in local languages from India. Hindi is the third most common spoken language in the world. Around 615 million people from India can communicate in Hindi. Hence, we decided to translate and adapt this tool to Hindi and measure its psychometric properties.
Method:
We translated the MSK-HQ to Hindi (MSK-HQ-Hi) as per the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. We tested its consistency, reliability and construct validity. We compared it with other scores for health status such as EQ-5D-5L and overall health by visual analogue scale (VAS).
Results:
We studied the application of the score in 143 subjects attending musculoskeletal clinics who can read and understand Hindi. Mean age was 45.1 ± 17 years. It showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93) and excellent test-retest reliability (Spearman's ρ = 0.94, p < 0.005). For construct validity, we found a strong correlation between MSK-HQ-Hi and EQ-5D-5L values (Spearman's ρ = 0.92, p < 0.001). There was also a good correlation between MSK-HQ-Hi and overall health by VAS (Spearman's ρ = 0.71, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
MSK-HQ-Hi demonstrated good consistency, reliability and construct validity in measuring musculoskeletal health of subjects who can understand Hindi. It can be a valuable tool for the benefit of a large number of patients attending musculoskeletal clinics in India.

