Spanish Version of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (S-MAUQ): Translation, Adaptation, and Validation Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) app usability is critical for success in the digital landscape.
• Existing usability questionnaires lack specificity for mHealth apps.
• The mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) is widely used but has multiple versions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and validate the English MAUQ (standalone, patient version) into Spanish, creating the S-MAUQ.
• To ensure the S-MAUQ is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating mHealth app usability.

Main Methods:

• The study followed a 4-stage methodology: translation/adaptation, expert content validation, target user face validation, and reliability assessment.
• Content and face validity were assessed using indices like S-CVI and S-FVI, with modified kappa statistic (κ) for interrater agreement.
• Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha (α) with 61 young adult participants using the Yazio mHealth app.

Main Results:

• Post-item removal, the Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI) improved to 0.881.
• Scale Face Validity Index (S-FVI) was 0.927, indicating clarity for users.
• Modified kappa (κ) values exceeded 0.74, supporting validity, and Cronbach's alpha (α) was 0.87, confirming reliability.

Conclusions:

• The Spanish version of the MAUQ (S-MAUQ) is a validated and reliable instrument.
• The S-MAUQ is suitable for assessing the usability of mHealth applications among young Spanish adults.
• Further research with diverse populations is recommended.