Translation and validation of the instrument for the oral health-related quality of life assessment in 3 to 5 years old children in Bosnia-Herzegovina

• Main Author: Amra Hadžipašić Nazdrajić
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Sarajevo 2012-12-01
• Series: Journal of Health Sciences
• Subjects: ECOHIS, translation, validation
• Online Access: http://jhsci.ba/OJS/index.php/jhsci/article/view/39

<strong>Introduction:</strong> During 2007. in the U.S. was developed the questionnaire for caregivers with 13 items for assessing the oral health-related quality of life in children 3-5 years of age, The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact<br />Scale, The ECOHIS. The aim of this study was to perform the fi rst part of the adaptation process for this instrument in Bosnia-Herzegovina: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and the comprehensibility testing.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> ECOHIS was translated from English into the one of the languages in Bosnia-Herzegovina using a standardized forward-backward translation method. Two licensed, professional English-language translators, one dentist and one pediatrician, participated in the development of the preliminary BH-ECOHIS version. All translators were native Bosnian speakers. After translation and adaptation of ECOHIS to Bosnia and Herzegovina setting, pilot-research was performed in order to check the comprehensibility of the questionnaire.<br /><strong>Results</strong>: The original and the back-translated version were the same. Because not all children in Bosnia-Herzegovina attend preschool, school or daycare, we replaced the question number fi ve from the original<br />English version “missed preschool, daycare or school“ with “had difficulties in everyday activities”. Translated and culturally adapted version of the ECOHIS was applied in a form of an interview (N=16). Parents/caregivers<br />had no diffi culties to understand the questionnaire.<br /><strong>Conclusions:</strong> BH-ECOHIS showed excellent comprehensibility. Next step in the validation process should be the testing of its measurement characteristic.