Brazilian Portuguese version of the revised upper-limb module: cross-cultural adaptation and validation

Abstract

Background With the emergence of new therapies for spinal muscular atrophy linked to chromosome 5q (SMA-5q), capturing motor function changes in the upper limbs (ULs) become crucial for assessing treatment efficacy and monitoring changes in the disease. The translation and cultural adaptation of the revised upper-limb module (RULM) into Brazilian Portuguese will enable implementation in clinical settings and facilitate the conduction of national studies.

Objective To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the RULM to Brazilian Portuguese.

Methods The study was conducted in two phases: translation and cross-cultural adaptation, and the reliability assessment. Both phases followed recommendations from international guidelines. The analysis of the psychometric properties was performed with 21 individuals with SMA-5q, all of whom were at least 30-months-old and capable of sitting independently. Statistical analyses were performed using Cohen's Kappa analysis (K) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results The interrater agreement was considered excellent for items A to T (K > 0.81) and good (0.61–0.80) for items G and M. The reliability analysis showed an ICC of 0.998, indicating an extremely satisfactory level.

Conclusion The Brazilian Portuguese version of the RULM has been shown to be valid and reliable for the assessment of SMA-5q individuals older than 2 years of age who could sit.

Keywords

Muscular Atrophy, Spinal - Validation Study - Disability Evaluation - Upper Extremity

Author's Contributions

MCA: conceptualization, methodology, and writing – original draft; CAMM: formal analysis; JRI and GJP: investigation and methodology; TRF and LAA: investigation; EZ: project administration, supervision, and writing – review & editing; RHM: resources; and CGC: writing – review & editing. All authors contributed to the final manuscript.

Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive.

Associate Editor: Paulo José Lorenzoni.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 28. August 2024

Angenommen: 18. Dezember 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
19. März 2025

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