Hindi Translation and Psychometric Evaluation: Reliability and Validity of the Muscle-Strengthening Exercise Questionnaire for asymptomatic young adult

Background: Muscle-Strengthening Exercises (MSE) encompasses physical activity that typically involve the use of an individual’s own body weights, free weights or weight machines. The Muscle-Strengthening Exercise Questionnaire (MSEQ) is a tool developed to assess individual participation in strengthening exercises. This self-reported and region-specific instrument is available in the Indonesian language. However, there is a lack of literature demonstrating the effectiveness of the MSEQ in predicting muscle strengthening scores within the Indian population.
Objective: The objective is to translate and culturally adapt the MSEQ into Hindi, followed by an evaluation of its content validity and test-retest reliability.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in accordance with the translation guideline established by Beaton et al. (2000). The final Hindi version of the MSEQ was developed utilizing an online Delphi survey. A total of 51 participants were recruited to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated scale. Content validity was assessed through the Delphi survey and test-retest reliability was determined by administering the MSEQ twice with a 72-hour interval between administration.
Results: The Hindi version of MSEQ exhibited outstanding psychometric properties. The content validity was notably high, with a Scale-level Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.99. The test-retest reliability was robust as evidenced by an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.97 and internal consistency was exceptional, indicated by a Cronbach’s α of 0.98. Regarding absolute reliability, Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) was 56.46, Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) was 156.48, Coefficient of Variation (CV%) was 59.66%, and Smallest Worthwhile Change (SWC) was 65.20.
Conclusion: Hindi version of the Muscle Strengthening Exercise Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to measure muscle strengthening exercises. It has a high level of validity and reliability of its measures.
Keywords: Exercise, Delphi Technique, Physical activity, Questionnaire, Test-retest reliability.