Simplified Chinese version of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity for patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Purpose This study aimed to validate the simplified Chinese version of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ) for Chinese patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Methods The construct validity was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The convergent validity was based on factor loading, composite reliability (CR), and Pearson correlation coefficients (r). Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and the ceiling and floor effects were also examined. Results A total of 168 native Chinese-speaking patients were enrolled. The CFA indicated that construct validity did not meet the preset criteria to be considered as good. Except for Q 4-1, the factor loading was higher than the standard of 0.5, and the CR values ranged from 0.70 to 0.85. Strong to moderate correlations were found between other scales and the simplified Chinese JOACMEQ. The scale showed good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.639-0.821), and test-retest reliability (ICC 0.760-0.916). Moreover, the ceiling effect was displayed from Q1 to Q4. Conclusions This study indicates that the simplified Chinese JOACMEQ is a reliable and valid measure of the functional status among Chinese patients with CSM.