Development and validation of the Running Injury Epidemiology Questionnaire (RIEQ)

Abstract

Running is a repetitive activity, which can result in injuries. The need for injury surveillance in running is therefore important to provide prevalence, associated risk factors, and possible preventive measures. This study was conducted to develop and validate a running injury epidemiology questionnaire (RIEQ) to obtain prevalence, types of common injuries, and associated risk factors of running-related injuries among runners. The questionnaire included sections on demographics, running information, biomechanics, resistance training, running injury history and injury prevention strategies. A panel of three expert reviewers independently reviewed the RIEQ, scoring each item for clarity and relevance. The questionnaire was further completed online via QuestionPro by 10 seasoned runners to determine the clarity of the items. Content validity index and modified kappa statistic (k) were calculated to determine the validity and the inter-rater reliability of the RIEQ. All reviewers agreed with the questions included in the final questionnaire (scored 3 or 4), with the content validity index being 1.00, indicating excellent validity. The modified k was calculated to account for the possibility that the reviewers agreed on each item by chance, which was also 1.00, indicating excellent inter-rater reliability for each questionnaire item. As the pilot group had no further recommendations for improvements and no errors were reported, the questionnaire was regarded as a valid instrument to determine the prevalence and risk factors of running-related injuries. The RIEQ can be useful in future research to identify injury trends and provide a basis for early intervention to prevent injuries in runners.