Reliability and Validity of Chinese Version of MBIS and HerQles on Postpartum Women Who Have Diastasis Recti Abdominis

Background: The study aims to develop a tool with the Modified Body Self-Image Scale (MBIS) and Hernia-Related Quality-of-Life Survey (HerQles) and to analyze its reliability and validity among Chinese postpartum women. Method: Paper questionnaires were collected from 150 women who participated in the Postpartum Rehabilitation clinic to analyze the difference. Construct validity for MBIS was analyzed by factor analysis, HerQles was compared to SF-36. Results: 114 women with DRA and 36 without completed MBIS, HerQles, and SF-36. Age over 35-year-old was not a significant risk factor for DRA (P=0.056). Bodily pain of postpartum women without DRA had a significant increase compared to DRA ones (P=0.017). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of MBIS was 0.897 (Bartlett’s Test χ2=777.841, df 36.000, P<0.05), and that of HerQles was 0.802 (Bartlett’s Test χ2=921.490, df 66.000, P<0.05). MBIS got a cumulative variance contribution rate of 62.439%, and HerQles 72.154%. Intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC) of MBIS was between 0.584-0.794 (Cronbach’s α=0.913). ICC of HerQles was between 0.399-0.663 (Cronbach’s α=0.872). The test-retest showed that the ICC of MBIS and HerQles was 0.834 (95%CI:0.778-0.877) and 0.758 (95%CI:0.681-0.819). Conclusion: Most women have DRA after childbirth, age over 35-year-old is a prevalent but not significant risk factor for DRA. Postpartum women with DRA have less bodily pain. The Chinese version of MBIS, HerQles are reliable and valid. Keywords: Modified Body Self-Image Scale (MBIS); Hernia-Related Quality-of-Life Survey (HerQles); Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA); Postpartum; Reliability; Validity