Reliability and validity of the simplified Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ-C) in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain: a cross-cultural adaptation and validation study

The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) is a 14-item instrument designed to holistically assess musculoskeletal health across domains of pain, physical function, sleep, emotional well-being, and social participation. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt MSK-HQ into a Simplified Chinese version (MSK-HQ-C), and evaluate the reliability and validity of MSK-HQ-C in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain. A total of 150 participants were included in this study. Internal consistency was estimated according to Cronbach’s alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) based on completions from all participants at a 7–14 day interval. Construct validity was analyzed by correlations between MSK-HQ-C and the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5 L), Copenhagen Neck Function Disability Scale (CNFDS) as well as the short form (36) health survey (SF-36). The structural, convergent, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire were assessed using factor analysis and correlation analyses. The original version of the MSK-HQ was cross-culturally adapted and translated into Simplified Chinese following the guidelines by Beaton et al. MSK-HQ-C was indicated to have excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.922, ICC = 0.822). Moderate to substantial correlations between MSK-HQ-C and EQ-5D-Total (r= .648, p < .001), EQ-5D-VAS (r= .707, p < .001), CNFDS (r = − .759, p < .001), as well as physical function (r= .594, p < .001), role-physical (r= .407, p < .001), bodily pain (r= .512, p < .001) and general health (r= .496, p < .001) subscales of SF-36 were observed. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the 2-factor loading explained 74.206% of the variance (KMO = 0.919; Bartlett’s test of sphericity: χ² = 1855.421, p < .001). MSK-HQ-C was demonstrated to have acceptable reliability and validity in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain, which could be recommended for patients in Chinese mainland.