Validity and reliability study of the Arabic version of the postural habits and awareness questionnaire

ABSTRACT : This study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the "Postural Habits and Awareness Questionnaire" (PAFÖ). Postural habits and awareness are closely related to musculoskeletal health and play a critical role in clinical assessment and preventive physiotherapy approaches. The lack of culturally and linguistically adapted, valid, and reliable measurement tools in Arabic speaking populations constituted the main rationale for this research. A total of 359 Arabic-speaking voluntary participants were included in the study. First, the content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated through expert opinions, and the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) was found to range between .80 and 1.00. For construct validity, both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were applied. The EFA revealed a three-factor structure explaining 56.12% of the total variance. CFA supported this structure and showed that the Arabic version structurally diverged from the original form. The final version of the questionnaire consists of 8 items. In reliability analyses, the overall internal consistency coefficient was found to be Cronbach's alpha = .689. The alpha values for the sub-dimensions were .632, .508, and .485, respectively. Furthermore, the test-retest reliability was examined by reapplying the scale after two weeks, and a Pearson correlation coefficient of r = .891 (p < .001) was found for the total score, indicating strong temporal stability. As a result, the Arabic version of the "Postural Habits and Awareness Questionnaire" was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to assess postural habits and awareness levels in Arabic-speaking individuals. It is considered that this tool can contribute significantly to clinical applications, public health research, and awareness-based interventions.