Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hispanics represent the largest minority group in the United States and are projected to represent 29% of the US population by 2060. Enrolling Hispanic patients in clinical outcome trials is critical to study a representative sample of the general population. Lack of translated and validated survey tools has been identified as a major barrier to enrolling Spanish speaking patients. The purpose of this validation study was to study the correlation between the Spanish translation of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Foot and Ankle Outcomes questionnaire (AAOS-FAOQ) and the Spanish versions of the Foot Function Index (FFI) and the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) in Hispanics from Mexican lineage with traumatic foot and ankle injuries. METHODS: A cross-sectional validation study in 36 Hispanic patients from Mexican lineage with foot and ankle injuries was performed. The Hispanic version of the AAOS-FAOQ and the Spanish translations of the FAOQ, FHSQ, FFI, and the Short-Form 36 questionnaire (SF-36) were distributed among all patients. Subsequent statistical analysis correlating the Hispanic version of the AAOS-FAOQ to the FFI, FHSQ, and SF-36 was performed. Additional analysis on the Hispanic AAOS-FAOQ included test-retest reliability and internal consistency. RESULTS: The Hispanic AAOS-FAOQ Global Foot and Ankle subscale showed statistically significant (P < .05) correlations with 5 of 8 subscales of the FHSQ, the FFI, and the Physical Component Summary subscale of the SF-36. The AAOS-FAOQ Global Foot & Ankle Scale also demonstrated a test-retest reliability of 0.736 and a strong internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: This study further validates AAOS-FAOQ in Mexican Hispanics by showing strong correlations with the validated Spanish versions of the FFI and FHSQ.