Cross‐cultural adaptation and validation of the Malay health assessment questionnaire for use in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To validate the Malay version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (Malay‐HAQ) for use in Malay‐speaking rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the Malaysian setting. The HAQ – Disability Index has been validated in several languages, but not in Malay. Methods: The original HAQ was modified and translated into Malay by two translators, one of whom was aware of the objectives of the Questionnaire and the other as a lay translator. Two sets of Malay‐HAQ were distributed to RA patients during their routine follow‐up visits; one set to be completed immediately and another set to be completed 2 weeks later. A total of 61 patients completed the two sets of Malay‐HAQ. The data collected was analysed using SPSS V. 11.0. Reliability of the data was evaluated using the test‐retest method and internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Result: The study showed that the Malay‐HAQ is feasible and reliable. The Spearman's correlation coefficient ranged from 0.65 to 0.82, while the internal consistency was 0.88–0.92. Conclusion: The Malay‐HAQ is a sensitive, reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of functional status in RA patients in a Malay setting.