RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to translate into Brazilian-Portuguese the Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire (OPAQ), and to evaluate its reliability and validity. METHODS: The OPAQ was translated into Brazilian-Portuguese. This version was then back-translated into an English version which was compared to the original version, and a second Brazilian-Portuguese version was generated. This draft version of the Brazilian-Portuguese OPAQ was administered to 30 patients with lumbar osteoporosis and no fractures. The non-applicable questions were modified and, after being administered again, this Brazilian-Portuguese version of the OPAQ was accepted as definitive. Its reliability was tested in 30 osteoporotic out-patients, and was administered three times to the patients to check the intra/interobserver reliability. The patients were also clinically evaluated using HAQ, FIQ and a numerical rating scale for pain. For all patients the number of fractures and the bone mineral density at the spine were determined. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 69 years (54 to 89 years) and the mean number of fractures was 2.72. Twenty-one patients (70%) had had more than one vertebral fracture. All of the questionnaire components, except for mood (c16), presented statistically significant coefficients for intra/interobserver reliability. The highest score was observed for "the fear of falling" (6.70). Correlations between the OPAQ components and the number of fractures, bone density and Z-score were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: This Brazilian-Portuguese version of the OPAQ is a reliable and valid instrument. Other aspects than bone mineral density and the number of fractures have an important influence on the quality of life in patients with osteoporosis and fractures.
