Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis
The high prevalence of pelvic floor disorders in women requires assessments using validated instruments. We aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt to Brazilian Portuguese, and analyze the measurement properties of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Vaginal Symptoms Module (ICIQ-VS-Br).
Methods
Participants were Brazilian women older than 18 years presenting vulvovaginal symptoms according to the Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire (VSQ-Br). The development of the ICIQ-VS-Br included the steps of translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert meeting, and pre-test. We analyzed construct validity by correlating the ICIQ-VS-Br and VSQ-Br. The participants answered the ICIQ-VS-Br the second time 7 to 10 days after the first response. We measured test–retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha, and construct validity using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.
Results
The study included 313 women. Reproducibility was analyzed for the three subscales of the ICIQ-VS-Br, resulting in an ICC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.89 to 0.94) for “vaginal symptoms,” 0.85 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.89) for “sexual matters,” and 0.87 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.91) for “quality of life.” Construct validity showed a moderate correlation between ICIQ-VS-Br and VSQ-Br, confirming our hypotheses.
Conclusions
The ICIQ-VS-Br demonstrated validity and reproducibility, indicating that the instrument can be used in scientific research and clinical practice.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Process 2019/14666-7) for funding the study. The funders did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decision. The authors also thank the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and the University Hospital of UFSCar managed by Empresa Brasileira de Serviços Hospitalares for their support in the development of the study and authorization of data collection. Finally, we thank the participants who made this study possible.
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A.M.F. Fabricio: project development, data collection, manuscript writing; R.F.C.M. Padovez: project development, manuscript review; G.G. Poli: project development, data collection; M.G. Venancio: project development, data collection. C.M.A. Silva: project development, data collection; C.H. Jorge: project development, manuscript review; P. Driusso: project development, manuscript review; A.C.S. Beleza: project development, manuscript writing and review.
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Fabricio, A.M.F., de Fátima Carreira Moreira Padovez, R., Poli, G.G. et al. Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Measurement Properties Analysis of the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the ICIQ-VS. Int Urogynecol J 35, 703–712 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-024-05747-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-024-05747-x