Validation of a Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Walking Estimated-Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH) / Versão Validada em Português Brasileiro do Walking Estimated- Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH)

Abstract Background: The Walking Estimated-Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH) questionnaire has been proposed to evaluate walking impairment in patients with intermittent claudication (IC), presenting satisfactory psychometric properties. However, a Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire is unavailable, limiting its application in Brazilian patients. Objective: To analyze the psychometric properties of a translated Brazilian Portuguese version of the WELCH in Brazilian patients with IC. Methods: Eighty-four patients with IC participated in the study. After translation and back-translation, carried out by two independent translators, the concurrent validity of the WELCH was analyzed by correlating the questionnaire scores with the walking capacity assessed with the Gardner treadmill test. To determine the reliability of the WELCH, internal consistency and test–retest reliability with a seven-day interval between the two questionnaire applications were calculated. Results: There were significant correlations between the WELCH score and the claudication onset distance (r = 0.64, p = 0.01) and total walking distance (r = 0.61, p = 0.01). The internal consistency was 0.84 and the intraclass correlation coefficient between questionnaire evaluations was 0.84. There were no differences in WELCH scores between the two questionnaire applications. Conclusion: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the WELCH presents adequate validity and reliability indicators, which support its application to Brazilian patients with IC.

Resumo Fundamento: O questionário Walking Estimated-Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH) foi proposto para avaliar o comprometimento da marcha em pacientes com claudicação intermitente (CI), apresentando propriedades psicométricas satisfatórias. No entanto, não há ainda uma versão disponível em português brasileiro, o que reduz seu uso em pacientes brasileiros. Objetivo: Analisar as propriedades psicométricas de uma versão do WELCH traduzida para o português brasileiro em pacientes brasileiros com CI. Métodos: Oitenta e quatro pacientes com CI participaram do estudo. Após tradução e retrotradução realizadas por dois tradutores independentes, a validade de constructo do WELCH foi analisada através da correlação dos escores do questionário com a capacidade de caminhada obtida com o teste de esteira (protocolo de Gardner). Para determinar a confiabilidade do WELCH, foram calculadas a consistência interna e a confiabilidade teste–reteste com um intervalo de sete dias entre as aplicações dos dois questionários. Resultados: Foram observadas correlações positivas significativas entre o escore WELCH e a distância até início da claudicação (Figura 1A; r = 0,64, p = 0,01) e distância total de caminhada (Figura 1B; r = 0,61, p = 0,01). A consistência interna foi de 0,84, enquanto que o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse entre a avaliação dos questionários foi de 0,84. Não houve diferenças nos escores de WELCH entre as aplicações dos dois questionários. Conclusão: A versão em português brasileiro do WELCH apresenta indicadores adequados de validade e confiabilidade, permitindo seu uso em pacientes brasileiros com CI.

Validation of a Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Walking Estimated-Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH).

BACKGROUND: The Walking Estimated-Limitation Calculated by History (WELCH) questionnaire has been proposed to evaluate walking impairment in patients with intermittent claudication (IC), presenting satisfactory psychometric properties. However, a Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire is unavailable, limiting its application in Brazilian patients. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the psychometric properties of a translated Brazilian Portuguese version of the WELCH in Brazilian patients with IC. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with IC participated in the study. After translation and back-translation, carried out by two independent translators, the concurrent validity of the WELCH was analyzed by correlating the questionnaire scores with the walking capacity assessed with the Gardner treadmill test. To determine the reliability of the WELCH, internal consistency and test-retest reliability with a seven-day interval between the two questionnaire applications were calculated. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the WELCH score and the claudication onset distance (r = 0.64, p = 0.01) and total walking distance (r = 0.61, p = 0.01). The internal consistency was 0.84 and the intraclass correlation coefficient between questionnaire evaluations was 0.84. There were no differences in WELCH scores between the two questionnaire applications. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the WELCH presents adequate validity and reliability indicators, which support its application to Brazilian patients with IC.