Polish language questionnaires for monitoring athletes’ health and classifying reported symptoms

The aim of the study is cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems for Polish-speaking athletes (OSTRC-H2PL). Additionally, the study is aimed at developing and validating the original HPSCPL questionnaire, designed as a supplement to the OSTRC-H2PL, for classifying symptoms of health problems experienced by athletes, based on the consensus of the International Olympic Committee. The cross-cultural adaptation of the OSTRC-H2 questionnaire was conducted using the forward-backward method. The HPSCPL questionnaire was developed by researchers who are experts in sports physiotherapy, sports medicine and sports psychology through a series of meetings and email correspondence. The reliability of the developed tools was assessed by comparing data obtained from 102 athletes who applied them at intervals of 24–48 h. Content validity was evaluated through focus group interviews, while convergent validity was assessed by comparing data obtained from the developed tools to data collected using the SF-36PL questionnaire. The OSTRC-H2PL demonstrated high reliability (ICC: 0.92; SEM: 6 pt; SDC: 16 pt) as well as internal consistency (Cronbach’s α: 0.92), and established content and convergent validity. The questions included in the HPSCPL questionnaire also showed satisfactory reliability, as indicated by positive, negative and overall agreement rates (≥ 71.6%), Cohen’s kappa coefficient (≥ 0.62), and content validity was also confirmed. In this study, two questionnaires (OSTRC-H2PL and HPSCPL) are provided with verified validity and reliability, which enable continuous monitoring of the health of Polish athletes and classifying symptoms of the health problems they experience.