Evaluation of a Hebrew version of the revised and expanded Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) in patients with fibromyalgia.
OBJECTIVE
To validate a translated version of the revised and expanded Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) to be used by Hebrew speaking populations.


METHODS
The AIMS2 was translated into Hebrew and administered to 66 women with fibromyalgia (FM) along with the Hebrew versions of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the Quality of Life (QOL) Scale. All subjects were asked about the presence and severity (assessed by visual analog scale) of FM symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc.); a count of 18 tender points was conducted by thumb palpation, and tenderness thresholds were measured by dolorimetry. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients, and internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of reliability. Construct validity was tested by correlating the AIMS2 items with measures of symptom severity, count of tender points, tenderness thresholds, physical functioning measured by FIQ, and with a score of QOL.


RESULTS
Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.84 to 0.99, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients from 0.74 to 0.93. Significant moderate to high correlations were obtained between the AIMS2 subscales (except self-care) and measures of physical functioning, quality of life, severity of FM symptoms, and number of tender points.


CONCLUSIONS
The AIMS2 is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status and physical functioning in Israeli women with FM.
Neumann
L
L
Epidemiology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Dudnik
Y
Y
Bolotin
A
A
Buskila
D
D
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews; D007802:Language; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile