A comparison of control populations in quebec using the short musculoskeletal function assessment

The Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire is a health status instrument validated in the United States for use with patients with musculoskeletal impairments. It allows patients to self-rate their level of disability and impairment. This questionnaire has never been validated for Canada's English and French speaking populations. The first objective of this study was to determine the baseline responses of a healthy (i.e., without orthopaedic pathology) population representative of English and French speaking Canadians. The second objective was to compare the results of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment to see if language or gender had any significant effect on the responses. A sample population (n=144) of Quebec Francophone and Anglophone subjects was interviewed using the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire over the course of five weeks. All subjects were obtained from the orthopaedic clinic of the Montreal General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec. All subjects were self-reported as not being orthopaedic patients themselves in the past or present, and were merely accompanying patients of the clinic. Results were analyzed for differences between four groups using the ANOVA statistical test: Francophone females, Francophone males, Anglophone females, and Anglophone males. No statistically significant differences were detected between the four groups. Results were also analyzed for any differences between three age groups using the ANOVA statistical test, (15-35 years, 36-55 years, and 56 and greater years), with no significant differences detected. The overall Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment values obtained for the four patient populations were: Francophone males = 5.41; Francophone females = 5.40; Anglophone males = 6.41; and Anglophone females males = 5.33. For the three age groups, the results were: 15 - 35 years = 6.87; 36 - 55 years = 5.22; 56 years and greater = 5.18. These results provide an initial baseline to which future orthopaedic patients can be compared, and suggest that analysis of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment results may be compared across gender and language lines within Canada..