title: Translation validation of a new back pain screening questionnaire (the STarT Back Screening Tool) in French.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem and the identification of individuals at risk of persistent LBP poses substantial challenges to clinical management. The STarT Back questionnaire is a validated nine-item patient self-report questionnaire that classifies patients with LBP at low, medium or high-risk of poor prognosis for persistent non-specific LBP. The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the English version of the STarT Back questionnaire into French.
  
  
  METHODS
  The translation was performed using best practice translation guidelines. The following phases were performed: contact with the STarT Back questionnaire developers, initial translations (English into French), synthesis, back translations, expert committee review, test of the pre-final version on 44 individuals with LBP, final version.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The linguistic translation required minor semantic alterations. The participants interviewed indicated that all items of the questionnaire were globally clear and comprehensible. However, 6 subjects (14%) wondered if two questions were related to back pain or general health. After discussion within the expert committee and with the developer of the STarT Back tool, it was decided to modify the questionnaire and to add a reference to back pain in these two questions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The French version of the STarT Back questionnaire has been shown to be comprehensible and adapted to the French speaking general population. Investigations are now required to test the psychometric properties (reliability, internal and external validity, responsiveness) of this translated version of the questionnaire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium. olivier.bruyere@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bruyère
authors.forename: Maryline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demoulin
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brereton
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Humblet
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maquet
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Beveren
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Reginster
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Crielaard
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demoulin