The Chinese Version of the Special Surgery Paediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (HSS PEDI-FABS): A Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation Study

Background: The Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (HSS Pedi-FABS) is a user-friendly tool for assessing physical activity levels in children and adolescents. As sports-related activities become increasingly popular in east Asia, there is a growing need for a validated Chinese version of the scale to assess pediatric functional activity levels. Hypothesis: The Chinese version of the HSS Pedi-FABS will demonstrate adequate reliability and validity. Methods: Following standardized guidelines for forward-backward translation and cross-cultural adaptation, a Chinese version of the HSS Pedi-FABS was developed. A total of 76 children, aged 9 to 18 years, participated in the validation study. All participants completed the Chinese HSS Pedi-FABS twice, with a test-retest interval of 14 to 28 days. Each participant was also asked to complete either the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) or the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), both in Chinese. These scales were chosen as they are widely recognized and commonly used worldwide. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess test-retest reliability, while internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Construct validity was determined by correlating scores from the Chinese version of the HSS Pedi-FABS with those of the validated Chinese PAQ-C or PAQ-A. Results: All 76 participants were included in the analysis, with a mean test-retest interval of 17 ± 3.4 days. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.93). Internal consistency was good, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84. The Chinese version of the HSS Pedi-FABS showed good construct validity, demonstrating significant correlations with both the PAQ-A (r = 0.71, p < 0.01) and the PAQ-C (r = 0.72, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The Chinese version of the HSS Pedi-FABS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing physical activity levels in children and adolescents.