Chinese Translation and Validation of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaires on Overuse Injuries and Health Problems.

Abstract

Background: The importance of monitoring both physical and mental health in athletes across different levels of sport is increasingly acknowledged due to potential injury risks. However, for the Chinese-speaking population, there has not yet been an appropriate assessment tool available.

Purpose: To translate, culturally adapt, and assess the validity and reliability of the Chinese versions of the updated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O2) and the Health Problems Questionnaire (OSTRC-H2) among Taiwanese collegiate athletes.

Study design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence: 3.

Methods: The OSTRC-O2 and OSTRC-H2 questionnaires were translated from English to Chinese following international guidelines. Subsequently, 80 and 84 collegiate athletes, respectively, were invited to complete these questionnaires on a weekly basis for 8 weeks. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach alpha coefficient, while test-retest reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Severity scores from the questionnaires were also documented.

Results: High response rates of 90% (n = 72/80) and 90.5% (n = 76/84) were achieved in the OSTRC-O2.CH and OSTRC-H2.CH groups, respectively, demonstrating strong acceptance among athletes, with no significant issues in back-translation. High content validity was observed across the different body parts in the translated OSTRC-O2, with Cronbach alpha values of .82, .83, .82, and .83 for the knee, shoulder, elbow, and lower back, respectively. The translated OSTRC-H2 also showed excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach alpha of .95. The ICC values for test-retest reliability were 0.88, 0.82, 0.92, and 0.92 for the knee, shoulder, elbow, and lower back in the OSTRC-O2, and the ICC for the OSTRC-H2 was 0.90, indicating very good reliability for both questionnaires.

Conclusion: The Chinese versions of the OSTRC questionnaires were found to be valid and reliable for monitoring overuse injuries and health issues among Chinese-speaking collegiate athletes.