Validation of the DRAQue to evaluate symptoms and consequences of DRA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The validation of the Diastasis Rectus Abdominis Questionnaire to evaluate the symptoms and consequences of diastasis rectus abdominis
IRAS ID
322149
Contact name
Gráinne Donnelly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA) is the medical term describing widening and separation of the anterior abdominal wall muscles. It can persist in approximately 1/3 of women following pregnancy and negatively impact their abdominal function, body image and mental wellbeing. Valid and reliable instruments with acceptable psychometric properties are necessary to evaluate the symptoms of DRA beyond traditional approaches that only focus on the midline separation distance known as the inter-recti distance (IRD). The first specific instrument to measure and quantify symptoms related to the presence of DRA, the DRAQue (see copy in project files), was created and piloted in an earlier stage of this research. The objective of this study is to test the psychometric properties of the DRAQue in a population of women with DRA to validate the instrument for future use within clinical practice and research.\n\nPrevious phase of research: A preliminary Spanish questionnaire, the DRAQ, measuring the symptoms and consequences of DRA was developed in 2020 through an expert panel group composed of health care professionals. This was tested in a pilot sample of 30 women with DRA. Women answered the 27-item questionnaire and rated the comprehensibility, comprehensiveness and relevance of each item performed using a 4-point Likert scale. A final version of DRAQ was then created.\n\nThe Spanish DRAQ underwent a process of transcultural adaptation into English. The English DRAQue was then pilot tested in 30 UK women with DRA. A final English DRAQue was created and will undergo psychometric property testing in a sample of 135-270 women with confirmed DRA recruited from two research sites: the chief investigator’s private clinic, and an NHS site routinely reviewing postpartum women. Adult women with DRA who speak English will complete the DRAQue and sections of comparable, validated questionnaires. They will repeat the DRAQue 7-10 days later to test its reliability.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0166
Date of REC Opinion
11 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion