Validity and Reliability of the Scale Assessment and Rating of Ataxia Persian Version Questionnaire

Introduction: The Ataxia Assessment and Rating Scale (SARA) has been validated in English and a standardized tool having translation and modification according to Iranian language and culture was needed. Therefore, we aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the SARA.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with ataxia who were referred to the otolaryngology office from April 2023 to January 2024. The SARA questionnaire consists of 8 objects that have been translated into Persian. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was measured to find the internal consistency. Moreover, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Furthermore, the content validity ratio (CVR) and the content validity index (CVI) were calculated to assess the content validity.Results: A total of 11 patients with ataxia (aged 48.5±18.8 years) enrolled in the current study. After examining the face validity, the experts did not mention any particular problem. In the content validity, each CVI and CVR index item was equal to one. Cronbach's alpha obtained was equal to 0.893 that indicates a high level of internal consistency of this scale in the first iteration. In the second iteration, this index was obtained as 0.892. In all the items, except the heel shin item, the value of the ICC could not be estimated because the scores in the first and second iterations were the same. ICC for the heel shin item was equal to 0.944.Conclusion: The Persian version of the SARA questionnaire achieved the necessary validity and reliability and can be used in patients with ataxia to detect the ataxia symptoms and its severity in the country.