Polish language questionnaires for monitoring athletes’ health and classifying reported symptoms

The aim of the study is cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems for Polish-speaking athletes (OSTRC-H2_PL). Additionally, the study is aimed at developing and validating the original HPSC_PL questionnaire, designed as a supplement to the OSTRC-H2_PL, for classifying symptoms of health problems experienced by athletes, based on the consensus of the International Olympic Committee. The cross-cultural adaptation of the OSTRC-H2 questionnaire was conducted using the forward-backward method. The HPSC_PL questionnaire was developed by researchers who are experts in sports physiotherapy, sports medicine and sports psychology through a series of meetings and email correspondence. The reliability of the developed tools was assessed by comparing data obtained from 102 athletes who applied them at intervals of 24-48 h. Content validity was evaluated through focus group interviews, while convergent validity was assessed by comparing data obtained from the developed tools to data collected using the SF-36_PL questionnaire. The OSTRC-H2_PL demonstrated high reliability (ICC: 0.92; SEM: 6 pt; SDC: 16 pt) as well as internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.92), and established content and convergent validity. The questions included in the HPSC_PL questionnaire also showed satisfactory reliability, as indicated by positive, negative and overall agreement rates (≥ 71.6%), Cohen's kappa coefficient (≥ 0.62), and content validity was also confirmed. In this study, two questionnaires (OSTRC-H2_PL and HPSC_PL) are provided with verified validity and reliability, which enable continuous monitoring of the health of Polish athletes and classifying symptoms of the health problems they experience.