Validation of the Arabic version of Sydney Swallow Questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction: Clinicians in dysphagia field use validated questionnaires extensively in clinical and research settings to detect oropharyngeal dysphagia and provide information for diagnosis and management decisions. The study aims to develop an Arabic version of the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (A-SSQ) and assess its reliability, consistency, and validity in individuals with oropharyngeal dysphagia who are speaking the Arabic language. The questionnaire was administered to 15 participants with oropharyngeal dysphagia of various etiologies. It was a case control study and the sample was 100 adults aged more than 18 years old; 50 cases with different etiologies and 50 healthy controls. Both the cases selected and controls received a copy of both the validated Arabic version of Eating Assessment Tool (A-EAT-10) as well as a copy of the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire translated into Arabic to answer their questions. Retesting was done on all cases to determine the reliability of test-retest, with an interval of 14 days. Validity was proven to be high. In addition, the reliability of tests was significant. Results: The Arabic version of SSQ is found to be a reliable and valid tool to be used to screen and measure the subjective severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia. It showed excellent internal consistency among cases (Cronbach’s α = 0.924), excellent test-retest reliability (Intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.99). A significant difference was found in the scores of A-SSQ between controls as well as the oropharyngeal dysphagia cohort. Conclusion: The A-SSQ is a reliable as well as a validated questionnaire that can be utilized to assess dysphagia in the Arabic-speaking population in relation to anatomic region, consistency of the food bolus, and kind of dysfunction.