Reliability of Arabic ICIQ-UI short form in Saudi Arabia

CONTEXT: The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) provides a brief measure of symptoms and impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life. It is suitable for use in clinical practice and research. An Arabic version of the ICIQ-UI SF was translated and validated in Egypt and Syria. AIMS: The objective was to assess the reliability of the Arabic version of the ICIQ-UI SF in women from Saudi Arabia. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A study at the Urogynecology Clinic was conducted from November 2010 until August 2011. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven consecutive Saudi women attending urogynecologic clinic were recruited. Questionnaires were distributed for self-completion and then redistributed to the same set of respondents two to four weeks later as part of a test-retest analysis for assessing questionnaire's stability. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Agreement between two measurements was determined by weighted Kappa. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: Participants had a mean (SD) age of 39 (9.9), median parity of 4, and mean BMI (SD) of 30.9 kg/m(2) (4.6). There were no differences in the frequency and amount of urine leaks or the impact of UI on quality of life observed between the two visits. Assessment of internal consistency was excellent with the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.88-0.98). Participants agreed that the questionnaire was clear, appropriate, and easy to understand. CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic ICIQ-UI SF is a stable and clear questionnaire that can be used for UI assessment in clinical practice and research among Saudi women.