Translation and Validation of the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease Questionnaire in Hindi Language

Abstract

Aims and background: The King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (K-BILD) questionnaire, used to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), has been translated and validated in multiple languages. However, there is currently no validated Hindi translation available.

Methods: This study aimed to translate and validate the K-BILD questionnaire into Hindi for ILD patients. Using a forward-backward translation method after approval from the original developers, we created the Hindi version and provided it to patients alongside the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). We evaluated the Hindi K-BILD's reliability and validity by examining internal consistency, concurrent validity, and effect size (ES).

Results: About 86 patients completed the Hindi version of the K-BILD questionnaire, demonstrating good internal consistency in the total score, breathlessness and activities, and psychological domains (Cronbach's α = 0.939, 0.916, and 0.928, respectively) and acceptable consistency in the chest symptoms domain (Cronbach's α = 0.732). Concurrent validity with the SGRQ domains and total scores was strong to very strong (p < 0.001). The K-BILD score also distinguished disease severity, notably in forced vital capacity (FVC) Z score (0.257) and diffusion capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) Z score (0.181).

Conclusion: The Hindi language-translated K-BILD questionnaire was well accepted by patients and showed excellent validity, comparable to the original version of K-BILD in English language.

Clinical significance: The validated Hindi K-BILD enhances patient care, communication, and research for Hindi-speaking ILD patients by providing a reliable, culturally relevant tool for assessing health status and disease severity.