Abstract

Background: To assess an individual’s cognitive and emotional representation of illness, a translated, culturally adapted brief illness perception questionnaire (B-IPQ) is needed. Objective: This study assessed the content validity and face validity of a Gujarati version of a B-IPQ questionnaire. Materials and Methods: A forward–backward translation of the 9-item B-IPQ was applied using a standardized approach. The translated versions were compared with the original questionnaire, and 10 experts rated each item according to the following criteria: clarity, semantic equivalence, appropriateness, and cultural relevance. Data were analyzed by calculating the content validity and universal agreement (UA) between experts. Face validity was assessed using a think-aloud approach with 10 patients with intermittent claudication. This cognitive interviewing approach asked participants to describe their thoughts while completing the questionnaire to explore the comprehensibility and clarity of the translated questionnaire. Responses were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Results: There was a complete agreement between experts for 8/9 items (I-CVI = 1.00), leading to an overall agreement (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.98. There was an excellent agreement between experts (UA = 0.88). For face validation, our participants encountered only minor problems understanding some of the questions, and the Gujarati B-IPQ was considered to have good face validity. Conclusion: B-IPQ questionnaire had excellent content validity and good face validity and will enable illness perception to be assessed in people with IC.