| Items of the original minimum data set | French translation method | Adaptations made to both French and English versions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human body drawing to locate low back pain | NA | Addition: Introduction sentence to inform the respondent that the drawing shows the part of the body referred to in the questionnaire | |
| 1,2 | LBP duration | Double forward-backward translation | Modification (item 1): Answer choices "1-3 months", "3-6 months" and "6 months-1 year" were respectively replaced by "1-2 months", "3-5 months" and "6-11 months" to allow a collectively exhaustive set of answers |
| 3 | LBP intensity in the past 7 days | Double forward-backward translation | A typographical error was made by the authors of the minimum data set when presenting the pain intensity scale (1-10 rather than 0-10 numerical rating scale);14-22 the correction was made because 0-10 scales are considered a standard in pain research29 |
| 4 | Sciatica | Double forward-backward translation | Addition: Human body drawing to reduce uncertainty and missing data Standardization of the item: "low-back pain" instead of "back pain" |
| 5 | Comorbid pain conditions | Double forward-backward translation | NA |
| 6, 7, 8 | History of LBP surgical interventions | Double forward-backward translation | Modification (items 6-8): "surgery" instead of "operation" Modification (item 7): The second answer choice "More than 6 months, but less than 1 year ago" was replaced by "6 months or more but less than 1 year ago" to allow a collectively exhaustive set of answers Standardization of items: "low-back surgery" instead of "back surgery" |
| 9, 10, 11, 12 | Pain interference | French version ordered directly from PROMIS Cooperative Group24 | NA |
| 13 | LBP treatments | Double forward-backward translation | Modification: The list of examples of prescription medications was adjusted according to drugs available in Canada Standardization of items: "low-back pain" instead of "back pain" |
| 14 | LBP-related workplace absenteeism | Double forward-backward translation | Modification: The answer choices "Agree" and "Disagree" were replaced by "Yes" and "No" |
| 15 | LBP-related workers' compensation benefits | Double forward-backward translation | Modification: The answer choices "Agree" and "Disagree" were replaced by "Yes" and "No" |
| 16, 17, 18, 19 | Physical function | French version ordered directly from PROMIS Cooperative Group24 Addition: We felt that the French version of item 19 ("Are you able to run errands and shop?") used European French wording that is not straightforward for French-Canadians of various socioeconomic statuses; to reduce the risk of losing psychometric validity, the item was not reformulated but a bracketed specification was added to increase clarity | NA |
| 20, 21, 22, 23 | Emotional distress or depression | French version ordered directly from PROMIS Cooperative Group24 | NA |
| 24, 25, 26, 27 | Sleep disturbance | French version ordered directly from PROMIS Cooperative Group24 | NA |
| 28 | Kinesiophobia | French-European version of the STarT Back Screening Tool25 | Standardization of the item: "low-back problem" instead of "back problem" |
| 29 | Catastrophizing | French-European version of the STarT Back Screening Tool25 | Standardization of the item: "low-back pain" instead of "back pain" |
| 30 | LBP-related lawsuits and legal claims | Double forward-backward translation | Standardization of the item: "low-back problem" instead of "back problem" |
| 31, 32 | Substance abuse | Double forward-backward translation | Modification (item 31): We felt that the formulation lacked clarity about the type of substances the questionnaire refers to ("Have you drunk or used drugs more than you meant to?"); the sentence was replaced by "Have you consumed alcohol or used drugs more than you meant to?" |
| 33 | Age | Double forward-backward translation | NA |
| 34 | Sex | Double forward-backward translation | NA |
| 35, 36 | Race and ethnicity | Double forward-backward translation | Modification: Answer choices were replaced by non-mutually exclusive categories used in Statistics Canada Censuses (National Household Survey)30 that are available in French and English |
| 37 | Employment Status | Double forward-backward translation | NA |
| 38 | Highest education level attained | Double forward-backward translation | Modification: Answer choices were replaced by mutually exclusive categories used in Statistics Canada Censuses (National Household Survey)30 that are available in French and English; additional examples were added by our team for some education-level categories |
| 39 | Smoking status | Double forward-backward translation | NA |
| 40 | Obesity (height and weight) | Double forward-backward translation | The presentation format of the questions was slightly modified to ease data collection and analysis; the specifications regarding whether height and weight were measured or self-reported were replaced by "has just been measured" and "is an estimation", respectively |
Note: LBP = low back pain, NA = not applicable, PROMIS = Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System.