Background: Fatigue is the most reported and most distressing symptom among patients with cancer. However, no questionnaire that measures fatigue and fatigue interference with life has been translated into Arabic. Aims: This study aimed to translate and validate the Arabic version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-A). Methods: The BFI was translated into Arabic using the forward-backward translation technique. This cross-sectional study collected data from cancer patients through a self-administered questionnaire that included the BFI-A, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Zung Depression Scale (ZDS), MD Anderson Symptom Inventory total score (MDASI), and Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) Vitality Subscale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used including mean, standard deviation, internal consistency, and correlation coefficient using Pearson's correlation. Results: A total of 79 patients were recruited in Amman, Jordan, in 2015. Mean of the total BFI-A was 4.01 (2.4), showing that 83.5% had nonsevere fatigue. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the BFI-A was 0.93. The correlations between total BFI-A scores and BFI-A items were significant (P < 0.05) and ranged from 0.75 to 0.86. BFI-A showed a significant correlation (P< 0.05) with the following tools: ISI = 0.70, ZDS = 0.69, MDASI = 0.75, and SF-36 Vitality Subscale = -0.57. Conclusions: This study suggests that the BFI-A is a reliable and valid tool to assess fatigue among Arab cancer patients.

Suleiman K, Al Kalaldeh M, AbuSharour L, Yates B, Berger A, Mendoza T, et al. Validation study of the Arabic version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-A). Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit. 2019;25(11):784-90.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31782514