Fellowship Program Director Hartford Hospital Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Objectives: The Body Image Scale is a validated questionnaire used to evaluate the impact of a health condition or disease state on body image. The Body Image Scale was initially developed for use in breast cancer patients, and was modified for use with pelvic organ prolapse. The modified Body Image Scale consists of 8 items, and was developed in a population of English-speaking, primarily Caucasian women. Our objective was to develop a Spanish version of the Body Image Scale for use in patients with pelvic organ prolapse.
Methods: We utilized the translation method described by Sperber (Gastroenterology, 2004). This method includes several steps. First, a certified translator performs the initial translation to the target language. Next, the resulting translation is back-translated to the source language by a different certified translator. Finally, the back-translated version is compared to the original source document for accuracy, and modifications are made as needed when significant discrepancies are identified.
Results: The modified Body Image Scale (figure 1) was provided to a certified translation service, and a Spanish translation of the questionnaire was created. To enhance accuracy, this Spanish translation was then evaluated by three separate certified Spanish translators, and a consensus Spanish version was created (figure 2). These Spanish translators were familiar with Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Peruvian dialects, which is reflective of our patient population. Finally, the consensus version was provided to the certified translation service, and back-translation to English was performed by a different translator. This English version was compared to the original version for accuracy. When comparing these two versions, 5 of the 8 items were identical in wording to the original questionnaire. The remaining three items accurately retained the content of the question with slight differences in wording, for example “does it seem difficult for you to look at yourself naked” compared with “did you find it difficult to look at yourself naked.” In total, five separate certified translators participated in the translation process.
Conclusions: Our Spanish version of the modified Body Image Scale provides an accurate translation of the tool for evaluating the impact of pelvic organ prolapse on body image in Spanish-speaking patients of Puerto Rican, Dominican, or Peruvian descent. Future research includes validity testing among Spanish-speaking patients with pelvic organ prolapse.
