Concurrent validity of the health assessment questionnaire disability index in scleroderma

Abstract

Objective. To establish the concurrent validity of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) Disability Index in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Methods. Eighty subjects with SSc completed the HAQ Disability Index questionnaire. An occupational therapist, who was blind to the subjects' responses, observed each subject's performance on 10 of the items. Results. Paired t‐tests showed significant differences between the observer and subjects' responses for tying shoes, buttoning, gripping, and walking. Intra‐class correlations between observer and subjects ranged from 0.38 to 0.76. Conclusion. The results support the validity of the HAQ Disability Index in patients with systemic sclerosis. Copyright © 1995 American College of Rheumatology