title: Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and reliability of the german version of the dizziness handicap inventory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To translate the Dizziness Handicap Inventory into German (DHI-G) and investigate reliability, assess the association between selected items of the University of California Los Angeles Dizziness Questionnaire and the DHI-G, and compare the scores of patients and healthy participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary center for vertigo, dizziness, or balance disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred forty-one patients with vertigo, dizziness, and unsteadiness associated with a vestibular disorder, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 51.5 (13.2) years, and 52 healthy individuals participated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen patients participated in the cognitive debriefing; 127 patients completed the questionnaires once or twice within 1 week.
  
  
  METHODS
  The DHI-G assesses disability caused by dizziness and unsteadiness; the items of the University of California Los Angeles Dizziness Questionnaire assess dizziness and impact on everyday activities. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach alpha, reproducibility by calculating Bland-Altman limits of agreement and intraclass correlation coefficients. Associations were estimated by Spearman correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients filled out the DHI-G without problem and found that their self-perceived disabilities were mostly included. Cronbach alpha values for the DHI-G and the functional, physical, and emotional subscales were 0.90, 0.80, 0.71, and 0.82, respectively. The limits of agreement were +/-12.4 points for the total scale (maximum, 100 points). Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.90 to 0.95. The DHI-G correlated moderately with the question assessing functional disability (0.56) and fairly with the questions quantifying dizziness (0.43, 0.35). The DHI-G discriminated significantly between healthy participants and patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DHI-G demonstrated good reliability and is recommended as a measure of disability in patients with dizziness and unsteadiness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Annette.Kurre@usz.ch
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurre
authors.forename: Christel J A W
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: van Gool
authors.forename: Caroline H G
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bastiaenen
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gloor-Juzi
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Straumann
authors.forename: Eling D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: de Bruin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult