Translation and cultural adaptation of the Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire in vestibular rehabilitation of older Filipino adults

Introduction: When patients seek medical attention, vertigo and dizziness are among the most often primary complaints reported. Dizziness is considered a strong predictor of falls and the leading cause of accidental death in older adults. The Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire (VHQ) examines the effects of vertigo on disability, handicap, and psychological distress. However, the questionnaire is not available in languages other than English - warranting its translation. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the VHQ in Filipino could help monolingual patients understand the questionnaire better, leading to more accurate results. With this, physical therapy interventions can be designed appropriately and cater to patients' needs. This study aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the VHQ to the Filipino language and to assess the validity of the translated Filipino VHQ among patients with peripheral vestibular disorders in rehabilitation. Methods: The researchers utilized a quantitative, psychometric, and cross-cultural validation study design to assess the validity of the Filipino-translated VHQ. This study has 4 steps; (1) forward translation to Filipino, (2) synthesis, (3) blind back-translation, and (4) expert committee review. Results: After deliberation through an expert panel, all but 3 items received a rating of 1.00 for I-CVI. However, these items were rated well above 0.62, or the minimum acceptable index. For SCVI, a rating of 0.99 was computed, denoting that all translations for each item were highly pertinent and accurate. Discussion: The study produced a translated and culturally adapted version of the VHQ in Filipino that has good validity at the content level. The questionnaire can now be used in pilot testing studies for reliability to measure the impact of peripheral vestibular disorders on the quality of life of older Filipino patients.