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A pilot study evaluated a Spanish-language version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS), a standard questionnaire which asks arthritis patients about the symptoms of their illness. One of the problems encountered in prior efforts to create a Spanish-language questionnaire is the significant difference in dialects among Spanish-speaking people throughout the United States. The AIMS questionnaire was presented to patients in both English and Spanish which allowed bilingual patients to check their understanding of the questions by reading them a second time in another language. This approach also enabled the patients to seek assistance from family members or friends who may be more proficient in English. Since the questionnaire was tested in South Texas, the questions were translated into the particular Spanish idiom peculiar to that region. To verify the accuracy teams of translators worked on developing the Spanish-language version of AIMS. The completed questionnaires were returned by 72 Spanish-speaking patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The overall reliability for the physical function component of the AIMS was 0.71; for the psychosocial function, 0.74; and for pain, 0.76. Other high priority applications for a dual language approach are cholesterol reduction programs, smoking cessation workshops, and pain management clinics.

This article discusses methodological issues confronting health professionals using questionnaires to study health care variables among populations with limited literacy in English, and suggests techniques for minimizing problems that plague questionnaire-based research among these populations. A recent effort to validate a questionnaire for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients in South Texas is used to illustrate pitfalls and potential solutions.